Something Old, Something New
by MusicGeek764
Summary: *2012 'verse* After a raid on TCRI goes wrong, Leo is transported ten years into the future, where Shredder and the Foot rule with an iron fist. Leo must fight to find a way home, but things get complicated when he learns this futures darkest secret... *Rating for violence and mild language*
1. Fateful Night

_Hello, and welcome to this story! For those who haven't met me, I'm MusicGeek764. :) For those familiar with my work, two changes: 1. I won't be updating this on a regular schedule and 2. This actually isn't complete. I've actually been working on this for a while, but hit a snag of writers block. It's getting there, though! XD Also, this will go into AU territory, and this is canon up to and including "Karai's Vendetta". For now, though, enjoy! :D_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They belong to Nickelodeon/Viacom, and any other rights holders. I am not making any profit, so you and you lawyers can leave me alone!**

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Something Old, Something New

Leo sat in the dojo, allowing the rhythmic motion of sharpening his katana blades to calm him. He breathed in and out, in and out, as he continued sharping them, allowing the stress of what was about to happen leave him, if only for a moment.

Tonight was big. He was going to lead his brothers back into TCRI on yet another invasion. They had a full plate of objectives: 1. Rescue Leatherhead from Dimension X 2. Shut down the portal and 3. Take back the power cell. They had spent weeks planning this mission; training and reviewing the blueprints April had gotten them. Donnie had even made them gas masks so they could fight in the toxic atmosphere without having to hold their breath.

And now the day had finally arrived. As Leo kept sharpening his swords, he went over the plan in his head. They'd break in through one of the glass windows in the top, and begin to work on taking down the Kraang droids. He, along with Raph and Mikey, would work to keep the Kraang busy while Donnie would make his way over to the controls for the portal. Then, he would bring back Leatherhead, destroy the portal before anything else came through, grab the power cell, and then they would run.

"I believe those are plenty sharp, Leonardo," Leo was snapped out of his thoughts by his _sensei_'s voice, which seemed to come from out of nowhere.

"Master Splinter! How long have you been here?"

"Not very long. It's almost time for you and your brothers to leave on your mission."

Leo took a deep breath, sheathed his blades, and turned towards his _sensei_. Evidently, his nervousness betrayed itself on Leo's face, because his father put his hand on Leo's shoulder.

"You remember what I told you on your first mission?" He asked.

"Plans never survive contact with the enemy," Leo said. How could he forget their first mission? They had been so optimistic back then, not realizing what they were truly getting into.

"Be prepared for the unexpected. Think on your feet," Splinter added, then pulled his son into a hug. "Good luck, my son."

Leo looked up at Splinter. "Thanks, _sensei_." Leo stepped out of the hug, took another deep breath, and walked into the living room, Splinter not far behind him.

When he walked out, he saw Mikey and April sitting on the couch, a box of pizza between them. Leo knew that April liked to keep Splinter company when he and his brothers went out on missions; he figured they worried together.

Raph emerged from his room, and it was obvious he had just woken up from a nap. Despite that, he looked ready to take down some Kraang. Donnie came from his lab, carrying his brown duffle, which Leo knew was filled with all kinds of things that Donnie might need to hack into the Kraang's systems. Mikey looked up, as though just now realizing that everyone had just come into the room.

"We all ready, team?" Leo asked. The others gave curt nods. Leo turned toward Splinter and April. "Hopefully, we'll be back in few hours."

April ran up and gave all of them hugs. "Stay safe, you guys."

"Good luck." Splinter said once more as Leo lead his brothers through the turntables, through the sewers, and up to the surface.

As soon as he got through the manhole, Leo felt rain hit his head. He looked up at the sky. It was raining hard, and Leo jumped slightly as thunder boomed in the distance.

"Watch the rooftops; they're going to be slippery." Leo warned his brothers as they came up.

"Well, this explains why the sewers looked like they were about to flood. But, there was no rain predicted today," Donnie muttered, checking to see that his bag was fully zipped up.

"Well, it's a good thing we're inside for this mission," Leo said. "Let's go!"

And away they went, climbing up a fire escape to a roof, and soon they were soaring across the New York skyline, heading towards the large TCRI building. Though the overcast sky and heavy rain helped conceal the brothers better, it was also making things more difficult. They were all moving slower than normal to prevent falling, and even then, all of them had slipped once by the time they made it to TCRI.

The storm raged and got heavier and heavier as they stood on the ledge outside the upper floors of TCRI. Leo tried to see through the rain soaked windows. "Doesn't look like they've got a lot of Kraang in there right now, but it's hard to tell."

"Can we just get off this roof before we're blown off?!" Raph snapped, soaking wet and clinging onto the walls for dear life as the wind whipped around them. Leo looked at his sopping wet and already tired team, his brothers.

"Are you guys sure we should go on?" He asked, fearing the health and safety of his brothers.

"We can't give up now! We traveled all the way here!" Raph said, and Donnie and Mikey nodded in agreement.

"We'll be fine, Leo," Donnie reassured.

"Yeah, I'm ready to kick Kraang butt!" Mikey said, and Leo couldn't help but smile.

"Let's do this."

Donnie passed out gas masks and showed them how to properly put them on. Then, they broke the glass and made their way into TCRI.

Evidently, the Kraang had learned from the last fight with the turtles. Despite the open window, they toxic, green gas continued to hang around the air. Leo silently thanked Donnie for the gas masks as they began to fight.

Leo made his way through the floor, taking down Kraang after Kraang. The sounds of the ray guns and the slashing of Leo's blades against the droids mixed with muffled battle cries and a "Booyakasha!" from Mikey's direction. He kept an eye on Donnie, who was working on making his way over the controls. Evidently, the Kraang had picked up on this, as they were starting to swarm him. Leo made his way over, watching Donnie's back. Soon, Raph and Mikey were helping as well.

Suddenly, the air cleared, the green gas leaving the room. Leo looked over at Donnie, who was now at the controls. He took off his gas mask, took a deep breath, then gave a thumbs up to Leo. "I found the ventilation controls! The air's fine now!" Donnie called out.

Leo dropped pulled the mask off, and found that Donnie was right. He kept fighting and found that he was starting to breathe better. The Kraang droids must have something in their suits that allows them to keep breathing, but losing their normal air was starting to weaken them. He couldn't help but grin as he felt the battle turn to their favor.

Donnie started working at the controls, and the others worked on keeping the Kraang off of him. The portal started up, and Leo knew that Donnie was working on bringing back Leatherhead. He looked over at Donnie, who had a large grin on his face.

However, he didn't see the Kraang droid behind him.

"Donnie, behind you!" Leo called out. Donnie turned and threw a punch, when lighting suddenly struck the building, or, more specifically, the Kraang by Donnie. Leo watched in horror as Donnie was electrocuted along with the Kraang, his screams echoing across the hall, before crumbling onto the controls. The Kraang droid burst into flames and landed near Donnie.

"DONNIE!" Raph called from Leo's left, and Leo watched as Raph sprinted up to the controls, lifted the unconscious Donnie over his shoulder and tried to get away from the fight. Mikey sprinted after him, preparing to watch Raph's back. But, they never came, as they all seemed to be in various states of chaos. Evidently, they'd never seen Earth lightening up close before.

Leo made his way over to his brothers, but tripped and fell in the middle of the portal, which was still working on starting up, the three ray guns glowing pink. He made a move to get up, when he ducked down to dodge another lightning strike. This one hit the controls themselves with a resonating _BOOM_!

Leo looked up and watched as the ray gun's light changed from pink to a dark blue color. The beams suddenly shot out forming a large ball of energy, and Leo could do nothing as he was sucked in.

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_*Insert evil laugh* Oh, I love cliffhangers! I hope you enjoyed this, and if you did, feel free to review. Or, if you want to give me some constructive criticism, also feel free to review. If you just want to say that this was completely awful and tell me I'm a terrible person and give me nothing to work with, don't review, 'cause that's flaming and nobody likes that. Anywho, hope to see you all next chapter! :D_


	2. Welcome to the New Age

_Chapter 2! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, and to those who have put this under favorite or alert lists. You people are awesome! :D To further elaborate on something in last chapters author's note; I am very busy this summer, with summer camp and marching band things. So, updates won't be regular, and there may be a week or two were I don't post at all. Don't fret, I'm still here, just really busy. :) So, let's figure out what happened, shall we?_

**Still don't own TMNT. Unless I win the lottery, that isn't going to change.**

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_Ah man...My head hurts...What the heck happened?_

Leo slowly got up, rubbing his head slightly. As he began to look around the room, dread filled him. The place was deserted, and it looked like it had been that way for a long time. But that didn't make sense. The TCRI building wasn't that old, and hadn't he been just fighting in it? But, there was no sign of life anywhere.

_No sign of life..._ "Raph! Mikey! Donnie!" Leo called out in fear. Where were his brothers? And Donnie had been injured...

"G-guys! Where are you?" But it was no use. Leo was completely alone; even the Kraang where gone.

He looked up at the portal and was shocked at the state it was in. The three ray guns where all in various forms of disarray; one had fallen apart completely. The whole room was dark and empty. He slowly began walking out, only to trip again. He looked at what he tripped over, and nearly puked.

It was an old, rusted Kraang droid, with the rotting remains of a Kraang still inside. Leo backed away quickly, only to run into another one. Leo got up and walked away quickly, watching the floor to avoid tripping over others. He continued to scan the room. His eyes found the controls, which looked burnt. Pulling out his swords just to make himself feel more comfortable, he ran over to them.

The lightning strike had done some serious damage to the controls. They were covered in scorch marks and many of the buttons had fallen off. Leo touched the surface, and came away with dust. Evidently time had been a factor too, but Leo couldn't figure out how. Just a few minutes ago, he was fighting his way through scores of _living_ Kraang in this very room with his brothers. Now he was alone, his only company scores of dead Kraang, in a room that looked like it hadn't been used in years. What had _happened_?

Leo saw that most of the windows had been blown out, and that nobody had felt like patching the holes. He made his way through the window and saw the New York skyline. It was daytime, though overcast, and at first everything looked normal. Then, he turned to his right and saw something that nearly made him fall off the TCRI building.

It was one of those large, electronic billboards that one would expect to find in Times Square, not out in the middle of office buildings and apartments. But it wasn't the billboard itself that was shocking; it was what was on it. It was a large picture of Shredder, blown up to at least twice his size. Captioned below it were the words "Your Leader".

_No..._

Leo leapt off the building and onto a nearby roof. His heart was pumping. How did _Shredder_ come into power? What was going on? It felt as though the world was spinning much faster than it should be. Leo placed his hand to his head and sat down on the roof and tried to collect his thoughts.

He began to meditate; Splinter always told them that meditation helped clear the mind and opened your mind to new possibilities and ideas. He began to breathe in a rhythmic pace and he felt his mind clear.

And then the sound of chopper blades brought him right back. Leo, slightly annoyed, looked up, and felt the annoyance turn to dread. A helicopter with the Foot Clan seal on its side was inspecting the TCRI roof that he had just left. He could see Foot Clan ninjas leaving the helicopter and into the building. And then – his heart skipped a beat – Karai followed them.

Leo knew he had to get out of there. They must have had something to do with the state TCRI was in, and they must have set up silent alarms in case anyone went in there. And once they realized that the person who tripped those alarms had escaped, they'd start checking the surrounding area. He had to get underground.

He began to run, using the shadows to prevent being seen. And thank goodness he did. Foot owned choppers where everywhere in the sky, and he could see patrol cars and vans on the streets. And even more eerie, the streets had only a few people walking them, wearing dark clothes and keeping their heads down. Something was seriously wrong.

Leo saw a newspaper stand that no one was watching, so he snuck down and took one of the papers. The headlines seemed to be nothing more than Foot propaganda, something about how wonderful Shredder was. Then, his eyes fell on the date. The month and day were correct, but the year wasn't. He scanned it again. According to this, he was ten years in the future!

Leo dropped the paper in shock. _How is this possible? What's going on here? Where is everybody? How did this happen?_

Then, he remembered what had happened back in TCRI before things went weird. He had tripped into the portal, then lightning had struck the controls, then the colors changed...and here he was. The strike of the lightning had somehow changed the portal from traveling to Dimension X to the future. That, or some wigged out other dimension. That was alien technology; the Earth lightning must have messed with it in a way that not even the Kraang could have predicted. And the place was in shambles and was now crawling with Foot Clan. He was stuck here for a while.

Leo wished that Donnie was with him. He would've known what was going on, or at least could have provided better insight.

_I need to get underground. The others might be there, and they might be able to help me. Though, if I did time travel, they haven't seen me in ten years. This might get weird...or, well, weirder. _

Leo found manhole cover, moved it, and climbed into the sewers, being careful to put the cover back perfectly.

He dropped into the sewers and began walking. For the first time, he found himself in familiar surroundings. Evidently, ten years hadn't changed the sewers much, and he was grateful for that. Not only was it calming, but he was able to find his way around easier, and in no time at all he found himself at the lair.

He pushed his way through the old turntables and began to look around. He felt his face fall as he did so. Everything looked different, darker, and almost cleaner. The TV looked like it hadn't been touched in ages, and Mikey's skateboard, Donnie's laptop, and Raph's comic books where nowhere to be seen. He walked in slowly, and noticed that his collection of _Space Heroes_ DVD's where still there, lying in the same place he'd left them, yet they were free of dust. In fact, despite looking different, the lair still looked like it was lived in.

He picked up one of the DVD's when he sensed something coming towards his head. He instinctively ducked, and heard something stick to the wall behind him. He looked and saw a metal fan stuck in the wall. Then he felt someone punch his face. He grabbed the arm, and twisted it expertly, flipping his attacker to the ground. At this, a gasp left his attackers throat; a gasp that sounded very familiar...

"April!" Leo exclaimed, and he looked down at the floor. Sure enough, there was April, slowly getting up. She was a bit taller and defiantly older looking. She had a grey sweatshirt and old jeans on, but her hair was still in its normal ponytail-and-yellow-headband, though a bit longer.

She looked up at him and her eyes widened in shock. "L-Leo?" She asked, breathless, and Leo nodded. April suddenly gave him a large hug.

"We haven't seen you in years! _Sensei_ and I thought you were dead!" She said, sounding like she was trying to hold back sobs.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just time traveled is all," April pulled away, and gave him a questioning look. "Long story. What happened here? Why is Shredder in charge?"

"That is also a long story," Leo and April turned to the gravelly voice behind them. Leo's eyes couldn't help but well up with tears at seeing Master Splinter. He still looked like he always did, but Leo could see the grayer patches of fur, the way he leaned on his staff more. His S_ensei_ was getting older. But, Leo also saw the happiness in Splinter's eyes as he laid eyes on his missing son.

"_Sensei_!" Leo cried, and he ran over, embracing him tightly.

"I have missed you, my son," Splinter said, returning the hug.

"Okay, not that I'm not glad to see Leo again, but what's going on here?" April said from behind them.

"I was going to ask the same thing," Leo said.

"We need to go the dojo and exchange stories. We all have many questions that must be answered."

Leo followed Splinter into the dojo and sighed with relief in seeing that it still looked like it always had.

"It's familiar, huh?" April said from behind him. "I love it too. It's the one place I can forget the horrors of today and remember how much fun we used to have."

"It does not do well to dwell on the past, April," Splinter said, sitting down in front of the large tree. "Though it seems as if the past is dwelling on us," He added, looking at Leo.

"Wait, where are the others?" Leo asked. "Where are Raph, Donnie, and Mikey? Won't they want to hear about what's going on?"

Both April and Splinter tensed. Leo looked at his S_ensei_ and his best friend in confusion. "Where are my brothers?"

April looked at Splinter as he took a shaky breath and looked Leo dead in the eyes. "Leonardo, you have missed so much. I have not seen your brothers, my sons, in almost the same amount of time that I have not seen you."


	3. Shocks

_Chapter 3! This one's kinda long, and gets into some back story. I'm not going to say anything else, so read on..._

**Must I always remind you guys that I don't own the turtles? Though, that might actually be a good thing, considering what's about to happen...**

* * *

"What-?" Leo stutters out after staring at Splinter and April for a few minutes. "What do you mean?" Splinter hadn't seen Raph, Donnie, or Mikey in nearly ten years? But, why? Panic courses though Leo. _Did they...not make it out?_ Even in his head, he couldn't accept the fact that they might have...

"Do you remember what happened ten years ago today?" Splinter asks, and the sadness in his eyes freezes Leo's insides cold.

"Yeah, because to me it felt like they just happened. Raph, Donnie, Mikey, and I all went to TCRI to rescue Leatherhead and shut down the portal. Then, Donnie was stuck by lighting, and Raph grabbed him, and I tried to get over to them, but I tripped and fell in the portal, and then the portal controls were stuck by lightning, and then the canon colors switched from pink to blue, then there was a blinding light, and I woke up in TCRI in this time," Leo said, rushing as the words came spilling out of his mouth. He took a breath before continuing. "I think the lighting screwed up the controls, because they aren't from Earth. Instead of sending me to Dimension X, I got sent forward in time instead. I got underground, and found the lair."

Leo felt a bit better getting this whole story out to someone he could trust. But, the coldness and worry had settled in his gut, like a large boulder was crushing his guts. Splinter nodded, soaking up what he had just been told.

"I knew about Donatello's injury, and I knew about you falling into the portal. However, it had always been assumed that you had been sent to Dimension X. After you disappeared, the Kraang had scattered, and Michelangelo and Raphael were left with a close to death Donatello. Then, Karai showed up."

"She did?" Leo knew that Karai had always had a fascination with the Kraang, but he didn't know that she knew all the dark secrets TCRI had.

Splinter nodded before continuing. "She apparently spotted you four going in and decided to see what you were up too. When she came in, things where getting desperate. Donatello was barely breathing, and Raphael and Michelangelo were still in shock over what had apparently happened to you. She saw the situation and offered to take Donatello to the Foot Clan headquarters for medical treatment."

"And they took her up on it?!"

April stepped forward at this moment. "At the time, it was their only option. They thought that they had just witnessed your _death_, the death of their leader; they didn't want to lose anyone else. And in all honesty, it was probably the only reason Donnie-err-Donatello even made it through the mission alive."

Leo blinked slightly at April's use of Donnie's full name. She _never_ called Donnie "Donatello". The only people who ever called any of them by their full names were their enemies and Splinter. He shook it off, though. "So, what happened when they came home?"

Splinter looked down as April answered Leo's question. "They never did."

"What do you mean by that?" Leo was getting the feeling that nothing was going to knock him off his feet any more than he already had been.

Splinter answered this time. "They just never came home. For two months neither April nor myself heard from any of you. We had no idea what had happened to you or Donatello or the others. We feared you all were dead, but we kept hoping."

"A lot of good _that_ did us," April muttered under her breath, and Leo was taken aback by her attitude. The April he knew was spunky and cheerful, always bringing them up, even after crushing defeats. This April seemed dark and pessimistic.

Splinter shot her a look, which caused her to shrink back slightly, before continuing. "And then, it looked as though all of our hoping had worked; Raphael returned. He told us about what had happened inside TCRI, and how they had been able to leave. Then, he told us that Karai's seemingly good deed had a catch; they had been forced to become prisoners of the Foot Clan. The Shredder had consistently tortured them for information on my whereabouts. Raphael had been able to escape. Every night, he left saying that he was working on how to rescue Michelangelo and Donatello, who had been saved for some reason. And this continued on for a month. Then, one day, he didn't return.

"So, we waited, believing that he was either working on rescuing the others or had been recaptured. After two weeks of waiting, April grew impatient, and against my wishes, she went up to make sure he was alright."

Suddenly, April pulled out her war fan and threw it at the tree in anger, where it stuck, vibrating slightly. "I could believe what I had found! How could they do this to us, to _Sensei_? Even ten years later, it still doesn't make any sense!"

April collapsed onto the ground in sobs, curling up into a ball on the floor. Leo, shocked by the sudden outburst, stood there still as a stone. Splinter moved close to April and began to comfort her, rubbing her back. A few minutes later, April had calmed down, but was sniffling slightly, her eyes and cheeks almost as red as her hair.

Leo looked at Splinter, and he could tell that his confusion was plan on his face. His _Sensei_ took a deep breath, then moved closer to him, keeled to his level, and placed his hand on Leo's shoulder. He took a deep breath before speaking, and his eyes held a deep sadness Leo had never seen before from him.

"When April got to the Foot Clan headquarters, she found that, instead of being prisoners, your brothers were members of the Foot Clan.

* * *

The next thing Leo knew, he was kneeling over a toilet, emptying the contents of his stomach into it. As he heaved and coughed, Splinter's words echoed in his head. _Your bothers...members...Foot Clan..._

Leo kept heaving, but there was nothing left but bile. As he coughed and attempted to get his breathing under control, he became aware of a hand on his back, and a soft, female voice whispering to him.

"It's okay, Leo. Just get it all out. You've had a rough day. It'll be fine, just relax. It's fine," April muttered, her hand making small circles over his shell. He slowly stood up on shaky knees, and April handed him a towel. He cleaned himself up, and when he met his face in the mirror, he was surprised at how pale he was.

_Calm down, Leo. Just breathe. There must be an explanation. _But there wasn't. Leo couldn't fathom a reason that his brothers would betray their father, their family, their clan for the Foot.

"Just when I thought nothing else could shake me..." Leo muttered under his breath, and couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "I can really say that now." He turned to April, who stood nearby, watching him carefully. "Thanks. Where's _Sensei_?"

"Right here, Leonardo," Splinter walked in at this moment, and pulled his son into the second hug from him today. Splinter was a loving father and a great _sensei_, but wasn't much for physical contact. All the hugging was a little foreign to Leo, but he appreciated it all the same. "I understand that today has been very stressful for you. We can let you rest if you would like."

"No." Leo said, and even he was surprised at the amount of conviction in his voice. "I need to hear everything. I need to know what's happened while I've been gone."

"Very well," Splinter said, walking out of the hug. "But, we can stop anytime you want."

The three walked out of the bathroom and back into the dojo, back into their original positions.

"After April...made the discovery, we were just as shocked as you were. We spent years trying to figure out what was going on. We are still trying to figure out exactly what happened.

"For about a year and a half, we heard nothing. Then we made a startling discovery; the Kraang had been whipped out completely. No doubt you saw evidence of this in TCRI today." Leo nodded. "We believe now that Karai and your brothers teamed up, and they finally took them down. However, there were some human casualties..."

Leo blinked in confusion, then his eyes made their way over to April, who was staring at the floor. At once, it clicked. The whole reason he and his brothers had met April all those years ago...

"Your father. April, I'm so sorry." Leo said, breathless.

"Thank you," April said softly, and Leo ignored the tears she wiped away. "We were at least able to find...him, and bury him properly. Many of the other scientists they took haven't been recovered."

Leo stood up, hesitated, then held his arms out. April slowly got up, and then accepted his hug. "At least someone else came back," She whispered, then sat down next to him.

Splinter took a deep breath before continuing. "Soon after that, using technology they stole from the Kraang, Shredder and the Foot Clan took over. There were many counter-revolutions that lasted for years, fighting him back. Some we joined, others we avoided because of who they were allied with. The technology they had not only made their revolution swift, but quickly killed any opposition. The Shredder has been in charge, unchallenged, for the past five years."

"Obviously, I've never gotten a chance to live topside again," April says. "I was at least able to finish high school by using Donatello's old computer, but I only surface to get food. As you can imagine, we're pretty high on the Shredder's list of enemies."

Leo stood up and began pacing, while Splinter and April watched carefully. His mind was racing, trying to absorb all that had happened in the decade he'd been gone.

"This wasn't supposed to happen..." He finally said, not looking at the other two people in the room with him.

"But it did," April said bitterly.

"Yes, it did," Splinter said, walking over and placing a hand on Leo's shoulder, causing him to stop short. "And we must accept that. Focusing on the past will get us nowhere."

"This would have never have happened if it wasn't for me," Leo said. Splinter made a move to protest, but Leo interrupted him. "Listen. If I hadn't disappeared for ten years, none of this would have happened! I could have done something at TCRI to save Donnie, or I could have stopped the others from joining the Foot Clan, or-"

"Stop that this instant!" Splinter snapped suddenly, cutting Leo off. Despite the harsh tone, Leo could tell Splinter wasn't angry with him, but he still jumped at the hard look on Splinter's face as he made Leo face him and placed his hands on Leo's arms. "I do not, _ever_, want you to hear you say that again. This is _not_ your fault. You did not choose to fall into the portal. We have no idea how things would have turned out if you had not fallen into the portal. But, that doesn't give you the right to blame yourself."

Leo stared at his _Sensei_'s face for a long time, his blue eyes meeting red. "_Hai, Sensei_," He finally said, and Splinter smiled gently at him.

A little while later, after dinner, Leo walked into his old room. Except for the lack of dust, it was exactly as he had left it ten years ago: His wooden training katanas from when he was kid, before they had moved up to actual blades, some old books on Japanese history in both English and Japanese, and his old _Space Heroes_ action figures. Leo picked one up, and suddenly remembered something.

* * *

"_Hey, Leo!" Donnie called out. Leo looked up from his stance as his brother walked into the dojo._

"_Hey, Donnie. You find anything good?" Leo knew that Donnie had gone up to the surface to find some tech for him to work with. _

"_Yeah, some stuff I needed for a new project," He muttered absentmindedly as he rummaged through his large, brown duffle, which looked much fuller that it had been when he had left almost four hours ago. "I also found this."_

_Donnie tossed something in the air, which Leo expertly caught. The thing was small, bumpy, and oddly shaped. Leo opened his hands and gasped at what he was holding._

"_A special edition Captain Ryan action figure with perfectly show accurate details, voiced by the actual voice actor, and serial number that matches the ships call code?! Only 500 of these were made! And you found it at the dump?!"_

"_Evidently, someone didn't realize how special it was. Glad I found someone who does."_

_Leo ran over and tackled hugged Donnie, who gasped suddenly at the force of his brother. "You're the best brother ever!" Leo exclaimed, and Donnie just gave him a knowing smile._

* * *

Leo stared at the Captain Ryan figurine, as the conversation with Donnie played through his head. He felt something wet on his mask, and it took him a second to realize that he was crying. After everything that had happened, a part of him still believed that his brothers were on the side of good, that they were in the rooms next door, that everything was normal.

_I will make this right. I can't go back in time and fix this, but I will do everything in my power to fix it here. _With this promise to himself, Leo crawled into bed and fell asleep, crying softly, still holding the figurine in one fist.


	4. Something Normal

_Chapter 4! First off, some exciting news! A user on here by the name of Elileo is going to be making fanart for this story! :D Her deviantart name is the same as it is on here, and her art is so good! I am super excited! Thanks again, Elileo! :D This is a bit of a breather chapter, considering the last three have been kinda intense. But first, you get one of my nightmare scenes, which I always love writing. I feel like they're a staple of mine... Anywho, enjoy! :D_

**I'm a Girl Scout, so if you sue me, that means no more Thin Mints for you.**

* * *

Leo blinked, and his eyes shifted into focus. As blurs turned into shapes, he saw that he was on a rooftop. _How did I get here?_ A pale morning sun was rising slowly over the harbor, the sky a milky color.

"Come on, Leo!" He turned at the sound of his name and saw Raph standing there, sais in his hands. "We have to move!"

_Raph! How'd he get here?_

_Wait...Isn't he with the Foot Clan now?_

But, despite his thoughts, Leo followed as Raph took off. He looked normal; same red mask, same chip in his plastron, same stoic expression he always used to mask his actual feelings. And he still looked fifteen. Still, Leo pulled out his katanas as he ran, wondering where Raph was taking him.

A few roofs later, Leo's eyes widened as Donnie and Mikey came into view. They looked normal too; Mikey had a cheeky grin on his face, while Donnie was looking at something on his T-Phone, his face much more serious.

"You found him?" Donnie asked Raph, obviously talking about Leo. Raph nodded. "Good. My tracker says we need to keep heading west."

"What are we trying to find?" Leo asks, but no one answered. They all just started leaping a head jumping onto the next roof. "Fine then. _Don't_ tell your leader what's going on. That'll end well," He deadpanned, but followed.

It seemed like they ran for hours, and evidently they had to go more directions than west, as they made many turns, and even a few back tracks. Leo took the back, instinctively keeping an eye out for enemies, but none showed, despite them being out in broad daylight. In fact, the streets were completely deserted, despite the sun being rather high in the sky.

Finally, they ended up at a set of docks. The others seemed perfectly fine, but Leo was panting, his chest tight. "What are...we doing...here?" He asked, taking breaks to get air into his lungs.

Again, none of his brothers answered his question. They just kept looking out over the ocean. "Guys!" Leo called out, and despite a quick flinch from Mikey, none of them moved.

"Mikey, what's going on here?" Leo asked walking closer to his youngest brother. Mikey stiffened, but again didn't face him and said nothing. Leo sighed and went to walk in front of them.

That's when something swung at his head. Leo dodged, and looked for his attacker. Much to his shock, it was Donnie, who was aiming his bo at Leo, his naginata blade out. Raph and Mikey also had their weapons out. Shaking slightly, Leo pulled his katanas up into a defensive stance. They were quickly kicked out of his hands by Mikey, in a surprise move. _How did he move that fast?_

Weaponless, Leo backed up as he brothers walked forward. "Guys, it's me, Leo! What is up with you guys? Why are you-"

He was stopped short when he backed up into a Foot Clan ninja. The ninja grabbed his arms, pinning him back, and despite his struggling, the ninja had a firm grip on him. Leo felt his eyes widen as his brothers, malice in their faces, approach him, ready to make the kill...

* * *

Leo's eyes snapped open. He sat up, breathing heavily, trying to piece everything together. _It was a dream...Well nightmare is the better term. _He got up, stretching.

Suddenly, the events of yesterday flooded over him like a tidal wave as he slowly dropped his arms. _One nightmare to another..._

It occurred to him then that his dream could come true. His brothers could attack him, even _kill_ him, because they were no longer on the same side. That thought shook him to the core. Could his own brothers, the same three turtles he's known his whole life, the team that he led, kill him? Or would they take mercy, because of old times. Leo laughed bitterly. They were in the _Foot Clan_ now; if they really couldn't stomach it, they'd just have someone else do the job for them.

Every time he thought about his brothers being in the Foot, memories would come to him. Everything from their early years of running around the sewer tunnels, discovering new things, to training sessions, to the days they spent topside. Something always came to him, as though he was trying to hold onto his brothers, trying to remember who they used to be.

_I just need to let them go. They're all lost causes anyway. Things will never go back to the way they used to. I just need to take down the Shredder and get him out of power. If that means I must fight my brothers, I will. _

"They must not be anything to you anymore," Leo muttered to himself. He looked at the Captain Ryan action figure, which he was still holding, and attempted to throw it at the wall. But, something in him kept stopping him. He tried and tried, but couldn't go through with it. Frustrated, he shoved the figurine under his bed and stormed out of his room.

"Woah, someone didn't sleep well," April muttered, causing Leo to jump.

"Good morning," Leo grumbled. "Who dusted my room?" He asked, trying to lead the conversation away from his nightmare.

"_Sensei_ would go in once a week to dust and clean. I always figured he liked to," Her eyes shift to the other bedrooms, which used to be his brothers. "He does the same thing to the other rooms, but other than that, they haven't been touched. So, how _did_ you sleep?"

Leo blinked as the conversation turned back to him. "Not well," He admitted. "I'm still adjusting to, well, everything."

"I know, it's really crazy," April said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And it will take some getting used to." April looked like she wanted to say something else, then seemed to change her mind, as she dropped her hand and walked away.

The morning seemed so normal, it was almost strange. Leo ate breakfast, while April sipped a cup of coffee and Splinter walked in, holding a cup of tea. They ended up making small talk, but Leo wasn't quite sure how to talk without bringing up his brothers, so he mostly just listened. Soon, Splinter got up, and April followed.

"Leonardo, time for training," Splinter called to him.

"T-training?" Leo sputtered out, surprised.

"Yeah, training," April said, facing him and giving him an expression that read "Uh, duh." "We got to keep our skills up."

"I know that!" Leo said, his heart leaping. Training! For the first time since he fell in the portal, he was happy. He loved training; they chance to work out and sharpen his skills. The fact that he got to do something resembling a routine he was familiar with made him happier than he could ever imagine.

He grabbed his katanas and raced to the dojo. At seeing the expression on Leo's face, April laughed, in a manner Leo was familiar with. "I finally get to spar with someone other than _Sensei_. Maybe I'll finally win." Splinter just smiled at them.

April and Leo bowed to each other, then got into stance, her right hand on her left hip. He had one katana out. Splinter called out for them to begin, and they charged forward.

In no time at all, Leo was on the floor, a victorious April standing over him. "I knew I'd win!" She yelled, triumphant.

"I forgot you're ten years older now, meaning you've gotten ten more years of experience than I remember you having," Leo muttered as he got up. April sent him a sly grin.

"Never underestimate your enemy, Leonardo, even if you think you have the advantage," Splinter called out.

"_Hai, Sensei_," Leo called back, and retook his stance. April did the same.

Hours later, both April and Leo won their fair share of fights, but Leo edged out on top. "No matter what, I can't win," April pouted, but it was all in fun. And Leo felt like he was flying. This had been one of the most fun training sessions he'd ever had, and it felt good to do something that to him felt "normal". And training had always eased his mind.

"I think that is enough for today," Splinter said, walking forward.

"Thank God. I'm starving," April said, walking towards the kitchen, and Leo couldn't help but smile at seeing April act more like her old self.

Leo felt Splinter's hand on his shoulder. "You did well today, my son. It is great to see you smiling again."

"It was just fun to train. To get a chance to focus on nothing but getting better, and forget everything else that's happening, if only for a while."

"While you cannot, and should not, forget the problems and sadness that is out in the world, you should always try to focus on good things and remember to remain happy."

Leo smiled. "_Hai, Sensei_. Now, let's get lunch."

Splinter chuckled in agreement as they left the dojo.


	5. Familiar Faces, Worn Out Places

_Chapter 5! So, Leo's settling into a routine, and he's starting to relax... Well, we can't have that, can we? XD Because when things get normal and relaxed, you all get bored. And I like to keep you on your toes. ;) _

**I mention the Rockefeller Center in this chapter, as well as a few later ones. Obviously, I don't own anything about that** _(Do I need a disclaimer for this? Eh, better safe than sorry) _**I'm not really in the mood to be sued, so...don't? :)**

* * *

_Thwack!_ Leo grinned as he continued hitting the training dummy, sweat trailing down his face. He gave it a sharp kick to the side, causing the dummy to swing around wildly on the string it was attached to.

He'd been here a week, and he'd spent most of that time training. He'd always trained more often than Splinter required him to, but he was pushing himself even more now. Partially, it was because training was the only thing that was normal and safe. Despite all the changes that had occurred, the forms and drills he'd learned were the exact same. It was sold ground Leo had found in this turbulent world.

Another portion, though, was him working towards the day he'd face the Shredder. He still remembered the promise he made to himself; he was going to set things right. Nothing could get in the way of this goal. This was the thing that kept him going, this desire to right the wrongs. Despite Splinter's, April's, and even his own words, Leo still blamed himself for at least a portion of this mess.

And finally, Leo used this to forget his brothers. He couldn't be weak around them, he couldn't drop his guard if he got into a fight with them. No matter the past, he had to take them down. They were now enemies, and it was by his brothers choice, not his own.

And yet a part of him wanted to remember them. One tiny part of Leo tried his hardest to remember the good times they'd all shared. Tried to tell him that blood was thicker than water, that he couldn't just throw 15 years of life away.

Leo tried his hardest to ignore that part of him.

With a deep breath, Leo finished and walked out of the dojo and into the kitchen, where Splinter sat with a cup of tea.

"So, he finally emerges," Splinter teased as Leo poured himself a glass of water.

"Funny, _Sensei_. Very funny," He replied back, breathing deeply. As he sipped the water, he noticed something. "Hey, where's April?"

"She went up to find food."

Leo spit out a bit of the water. "And you didn't tell me?" Splinter gave his son a questioning look. "I wanted to go with her," He explained.

"My son, I do not think that is wise just yet."

"But, I need to get up there! I need to see more of how things have changed. I need to learn how to maneuver around the city now. And I could help April carry more food. We are going to need more now."

"I do not think that is wise just yet, Leonardo. Even now, you are still adjusting to the changes that have occurred here at home. Topside would be even more of a shock. And April is perfectly capable of carrying home food, and she is aware of how much she needs. Besides, she is more familiar with the pathways she must take."

"But it would do me well to learn those pathways, so I could help her. And I'm going to have to surface eventually."

Splinter slammed down his tea cup, and Leo had the sinking feeling he was going to lose this argument. "Leonardo. Until I say otherwise, you are _not_ allowed to leave the sewers! As far as we know, the Shredder isn't aware of your return. The last thing we need is for him to know this!" Leo could see the fear behind his father's eyes, and he almost backed down. But, then something occurred to him.

"But, the Shredder will have to know eventually! I'm going to have to fight him to take him down!"

Silence hung above them after that. Leo held his gaze, as Splinter looked back in shock.

"What...What are you talking about?" Splinter finally said, and it was Leo's turn to be confused.

"Taking down Shredder and the Foot! We've gotta, _Sensei_! They've been in charge for too long, and we've got to make things right! You and me and April, we're the only ones left who could give the Shredder a run for his money. We can't let people keep living like this, under the rule of a tyrant!"

Leo didn't like the look on Splinter's face. "You haven't been working towards this? You can't possibly be saying you've given up? That you're content to live in this life of hiding? We can't keep living like this, _Sensei_! We can't let others live like this either! Why are you training us if we're not gearing up for a fight?"

"Leonardo, I am continuing training you and April so you may stay sharp and balanced. That is the reason," Splinter took a deep breath before continuing. "You are still stuck in the past, Leonardo. The Shredder you know is a much bigger threat, and a much stronger man. He has more power to his name now. We have tried to take him down, many times, but there is no choice. We must continue the life we have right now, if we want to continue having a life."

Anger coursed through Leo, and he couldn't keep it down. "So, you _are_ just giving up! Just allowing the Shredder to continue ruling and oppressing people! How is that a good plan? He needs to be stopped!"

"Tyrants always fall, Leonardo, and so too will the Shredder. One day, he will no longer rule, and people will rebuild."

"So, we're just going to wait. And how long will that take? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? It's already taken ten years, _Sensei_, and that's ten years too long. And if you're not going to take him down, then I will!"

And with that, Leo was gone, sprinting out of the lair and out of earshot of his _Sensei_'s desperate pleas for him to stay.

_How could he just sit by and let this all continue happening? That's almost as bad as giving it full support! The Shredder needs to be stopped. And I'm going to do just that!_

Leo surfaced and made his way to the roof, hiding in the shadows. It was another overcast day, and despite being midday, no one was on the streets. _What has he done with all the people? _

"New York just doesn't look right empty," Leo muttered to himself as he spotted yet another deserted street. He looked around. He needed to find where the Shredder was, but there was no telling if he and the Foot were still in the same building as he remembered. But, it was Leo's only lead, so he took it, following old pathways.

He got there quickly, and even before looking around, Leo knew it was empty. He got down to street level, where he found a plaque declaring the place a historical site due to it being the original headquarters of the NYC Foot Clan. Leo rolled his eyes, and kept looking.

Finally, hours later, Leo came across the Rockefeller Center, or well, the _former_ Rockefeller Center. The building was now emblazoned with the Foot Clan logo. _Figures; the Shredder takes one of the most famous buildings for himself. He's probably got the Empire State building too._

Leo treaded carefully. He knew that this place must have tight security, and Splinter was right in one regard: Shredder still didn't know that Leo was alive, and that was to Leo's advantage. And, he couldn't use the roofs, due to how high all the buildings around here were. Using the shadows, and keeping an eye out for cameras, Leo scaled up the building on the outside. He knew he couldn't go too high, but he just wanted more information. Then, he glanced at something in the window that made him stop cold.

It was Raph, who was currently beating the heck out of a training dummy in a room full of training equipment. As Leo looked through the window, he tried to absorb as many details about Raph as possible. His mask was no longer red, but black. There was also some sort of mesh over the eye holes that made them look like red slits. His elbow and knee pads also looked newer, and were black, with the Foot Clan symbol on them. He also looked as though he was now at Leo's height. Other than that, he looked just like Leo remembered.

Leo swallowed hard. _He's no longer important. See, he's with the Foot Clan, there's no denying it now. You just need to move on. _And he almost talked his way away from the widow when a door inside opened and two more figures walked in.

Donnie and Mikey. They were dressed the same as Raph was, and it looked like all their weapons were new as well. Mikey also looked like he'd grown some, but Donnie was as tall as ever. Leo watched, his heart beating fast, as Donnie walked quickly over to Raph and began talking. Their conversation was unreadable from where Leo was. Mikey hung back, casually twirling his nunchucks.

Suddenly, Mikey turned around and faced the widow. Leo snapped away quickly, but was unsure if Mikey had caught a glimpse of him. Leo waited a few seconds, then looked back into the window. He saw that Mikey was now talking to Donnie and Raph, none of them looking at the window. Donnie seemed to say something, and Mikey replied back by shaking his head no. The three left the room.

Was it Leo's imagination, or did Mikey give one last glance to the window before leaving?

The adrenaline that Leo had been running on was gone. He went back down to street level and began running back to the manhole he'd come from. As he ran, his head spun.

_They were right there! My brothers! And they looked fine! _

_ Stop being excited! You're not supposed to care anymore! They're your enemies, Leo. They stopped being your brothers when they joined the Foot. _

_ But...I miss them._

That thought hit Leo hard, and he almost lost his balance when it occurred to him. He _missed _them, and that was a fact he could deny no longer.

He went down the manhole and into the lair. April and Splinter were sitting on the couch, and their faces filled with relief when Leo walked in.

"Leo!" April called out and she began to walk towards him, but Splinter stopped her. He walked forward to Leo, who was looking at the ground, not meeting their eyes.

"Leonardo, my son, what is wrong? What happened? Are you hurt?" Leo shook his head. "Did you see the Shredder?" Leo shook his head again.

"I saw...Raph. And Donnie. And Mikey," Leo finally admitted, his hands shaking. He heard April gasp. Splinter knelt down to his son's level and began to caress his cheek.

And then Leo couldn't hold it in any longer. "The Foot are at the Rockefeller Center, and I looked through one of the windows and..." He swallowed, trying not to cry. "And I saw Raph, training or something," He worked to hide the waver in his voice. "And then Donnie and Mikey walked in and started talking to him and..."

The floodgates opened as Leo flung himself into his father's chest. "I just miss them so much! And they're wearing Foot Clan gear, but they still looked almost just like I remember them looking. And I kept trying to tell myself that they weren't worth thinking about because we're enemies now, but I just can't stop. How can we be enemies? How could they do this?"

It was the first time since getting here that Leo had allowed himself to cry freely. As he continued to, Splinter murmured to him in Japanese. Leo took the words of comfort, and he slowly stopped crying.

Splinter continued to hold him as he spoke louder and in English. "Leonardo, it does not matter if your brothers are now our enemies. They are still your brothers, and you are still allowed to care for them. There is nothing wrong with that. I still care for them too."

He broke out of the hug and looked at Leo. "Right now, we have no explanation for why they did what they did. But, we need to forgive them," Leo noticed that Splinter cut a glance to April as he said this. "We may have to fight them one day. But, we should not forget the time we spent with them, and we must be ready in case they come back."

Leo looked up at Splinter. "Do you...really think they'll come back?" The question was childish, and Leo's voice came across that way to him. But, Splinter just smiled softly at him.

"I always have some hope for that possibility. I accept that the chance of that happening is small, but it's still worth hoping for."

April slowly walked over, and placed a reassuring arm on Leo's shoulder. "And no matter what, the three of us will stay together."

The words Leo said earlier suddenly echoed in his mind. "_Sensei_, I'm-"

"It is fine, my son," Splinter cut him off. "For now, everything will be fine."

* * *

_So, uh, remember how I mentioned a few chapters back that my summer was busy. Yeah, it's getting busy. XD I'll be gone at summer camp from tomorrow to Friday. I will most likely post again a week from today. Pretty much from Sunday on, things get and stay busy for me in RL, so I appreciate your flexibility, and understanding that updates won't be nearly as frequent. Thanks for all the support thus far, and I'll see ya next week! :D_


	6. Nighttime Run

_Chapter 6! I'm back, guys! Camp was super fun, and I miss it a lot right now. XD But, I'm really excited for you guys to read this chapter! I've got some interesting things coming up that I think you guys will like. :) So, read on! _

**I'm about to go on vacation. Do you want to ruin all that family fun by suing me?**

* * *

Later that night, Leo pulled out the Captain Ryan figurine. Splinter's words echoed through his mind. _Right now, we have no explanation for why they did what they did. But, we need to forgive them._

"I miss you guys, but how do I forgive you? You left us, me and April and Master Splinter, for our sworn enemy. How do I forgive that?" Leo muttered, before returning the figurine back to where it had been earlier.

He, thankfully, slept dreamlessly. As he woke up, he could tell that it was early in the morning. Despite the fact his alarm clock was long broken and he lived underground, he sensed that it was much earlier than he was used to. He tried to go back to sleep, but found he couldn't, so he just accepted his fate.

As he tied his blue mask around his eyes, something occurred to him. His brothers now had black masks. What had happened to their old ones?

As he left his room, he could tell by the stillness that he was the only one awake. Moving quickly and quietly, like the ninja he was, he snuck into the room next to his – Donnie's.

As he walked in, he was overwhelmed by a sense of nostalgia. Donnie's bed was still made, as he liked it, and the rusting remains of an old invention sat on his desk next to his laptop. He walked through the organized room and found what he was looking for. Sitting on a shelf was a purple mask, which Leo gabbed, rubbing the soft fabric between his fingers.

He left the room and crossed the hall into Mikey's. Unlike Donnie's cleanly organized room, Mikey's was in a state of chaos. Luckily, though, Splinter had removed any old pizza boxes. After checking the crowded shelves, Leo had to dig through a few piles of stuff before finding the orange mask, wrinkled and folded.

Finally was Raph's room, next to Mikey's. His was an even mix of messy and clean; while his bed was unmade, his shelves were well organized. Leo found the red mask near some old weights and he grabbed it slowly. He looked at the three masks in his hands, and a fresh wave of sadness filled him. He walked across the hall back to his room and placed the masks in front of Captain Ryan.

"Maybe one day I'll understand," Leo muttered, before leaving his room, heading off to train.

* * *

A few days later, Leo sat on the couch, flicking through an old comic book he'd found. He really wanted to get the DVD player working again so he could watch _Space Heroes_, but he hadn't been able to figure it out.

"Leonardo," Leo jumped slightly at Splinter's voice.

"_Hai, Sensei_?"

Splinter sighed slightly before joining Leo on the couch. "I have been thinking about what you said to me a few days ago."

Leo winced slightly as he remembered the argument. "_Sensei_, I'm really sorry-"

"I know. And I am sorry too," Splinter said, interrupting. "I have being thinking over your words, and while I do not want you going after the Shredder, I do think that it would be good for you to go up to the surface on occasion. I agree with the arguments that you gave me, and April did say that she could use more help in gathering food. If you would like, I'd like you to go up tonight."

"Why tonight?"

"The Shredder is holding a rally tonight in Times Square. April saw a flyer on her last trip up. Most of his security will be in and around Times Square, so you should be safe if you stay away from there.

"This is simply a training mission to get you used to how to get around New York and how things have changed in these ten years. You are to stay hidden and are to not engage anyone. Understand?"

"_Hai, Sensei_."

"Good. You may head up at 9 tonight," Splinter said, and then left. Leo couldn't believe his ears. He could go up to the surface! It would feel so good to get some fresh air and stretch his legs a little.

He turned around and saw April peering behind a corner, a big grin on her face.

"Let me guess, you were behind this," Leo said.

"Well, he was starting to consider it. I just gave him a gentle push is all. I really don't need any help with the food. I just knew you wouldn't like being cooped up in here."

Leo ran forward and gave her a big hug. "April, you're the best!" He exclaimed, then grinned at her. She just smiled knowingly back.

That night, after another safety lecture from Splinter, Leo headed up to the surface. It felt good to head up with a clear head. He climbed up to a roof and checked his surroundings. Like Splinter had said, there didn't seem to be anyone else in the area. He looked out towards Manhattan, and saw a lot of light coming from where he knew Times Square was. The skies around the area were full of helicopters, obviously keeping an eye from above.

Leo was tempted to go over there and see what was going on. Try to get more clues to what was going on in this new world. See if he could get a glimpse of Shredder. But, Leo knew better. He'd be spotted in a heartbeat, and then things wouldn't end well. He turned away and began running.

It felt good to just run. Leo felt his mind clear and relax as he leapt over allies, adding in a few flips for the fun of it. For the second time since coming here, he felt a sense of familiarity fill him. It was just like old nights patrolling the city, just running around and taking in everything.

And yet, there was change. Old buildings were gone. Leo's heart ached when he saw that Murakami's shop was one of them, the whole building leveled and replaced. That was not the only new building, and many of the new building had Foot Clan logos on them.

And the absence of his brothers was felt. He remembered days when they'd run together, either just patrolling or exploring the city, showing off different flips as the crossed buildings. Or other times, when they were heading towards a mission, they'd be dead silent and focused on what was coming. Being alone felt weird and he felt very venerable.

Speaking of that, Leo sensed he had a tail. _Sensei_'s words about not engaging anyone flashed through his head. Though Leo itched for a fight, he knew better and began working on losing his tail. He found an old shortcut that was still there, and took it, expecting the tail to miss it completely.

But, he took it, continuing on Leo. And Leo could tell by the speed that the tail took the shortcut that he was familiar with it too. Leo's eyes widened as he tried to figure out how he could get back home.

Suddenly, a chain wrapped around Leo's legs, tripping him to the ground. _If it's a fight this guy wants, it's a fight he'll get._ Leo snapped up, pulling out his katanas.

"Take it easy, dude!"

_That voice..._

Leo stood there, frozen stiff as Mikey emerged from the shadows.

"It...It's really you!" Mikey exclaimed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Leo was still in defense mode. "I thought I saw you a few days ago through the window, but I wasn't sure. Man, how'd you get back? And you still look fifteen!"

Leo couldn't answer. It didn't seem right to hear Mikey's voice come out of this turtle, wearing Foot Clan gear. He couldn't even see his bright blue eyes under the red mesh of his mask.

"Leo?" Mikey asked again, and Leo looked at him. Despite all the changes, and despite the fact that he couldn't see Mikey's eyes, Leo could tell that Mikey was concerned. But, why?

"Why are you even talking to me?" Even Leo was surprised at how harsh his tone was, but he didn't care. He might have accepted the enviable, and he still did care for Mikey deep down, but Mikey shouldn't. From what Leo knew, the old Mikey was long gone, lost to the Foot. But, it seemed like old Mikey was still here, standing in front of him, talking to him. But, he was dressed like new Mikey.

Mikey seemed to realize that he wearing his Foot Gear, and he took off the black mask. Leo couldn't help the few tears that formed when Mikey's bright blue met his darker eyes.

"You..." Mikey trailed off and breathed before continuing. "You know, don't you?"

"Well, you are wearing their gear, so it's rather obvious. Both Master Splinter and April told me, and I did see you and the others a few days ago."

"You've seen Master Splinter and April? How are they?"

"Why should I tell you?!" Leo snapped, pointing his right sword at Mikey. "You abandoned them for the Foot Clan! You left us all behind! How could you do that? How could you leave them? How could betray us? How?!"

Mikey stood there in shock at Leo's outburst, but seemed to take it. "Leo, please believe me when I say I'm sorry. I never wanted to join the Foot Clan. Believe me."

"I'm gonna need more proof than that."

"Then let me tell you everything."

* * *

_If you didn't read the disclaimer, I leave for vacation tomorrow, but I'm almost certain I'll have internet access. So, I will update at least twice, but it, again, might not be very frequent. And right after vacation, marching band eats my summer. XD I'll get more details to you guys later, but I have one week of limited internet, and another of no internet. Again, I appreciate flexibility and all of your support. See you soon! :D_


	7. Tales of Mikey, Part 1

_Chapter 7! This chapter is "flashback style", which will be obvious in three ways: 1. Everything will be italicized 2. There will be line breaks and 3. It will be in Mikey's POV. I did this because I wanted it this chapter to feel like what would happen if this was an episode; it wouldn't be minutes of Mikey talking, but flashbacks to what actually happened. It does make this chapter rather long, and if you couldn't tell from the chapter title, there is a second part. Anywho, enough of my ramblings! Read on!_

**I'll shut up here; I know you guys are enjoying this too! ;)**

* * *

"Follow me, this place isn't all that safe," Mikey says, heading towards a fire escape. Leo hesitated. He was in the Foot Clan now; what if he was leading him towards a trap? But, it was Mikey, and somehow that argument won out, as he was soon following Mikey across rooftops. After a few minutes of running, the pair stopped on the top of an old roof.

"This place is long abandoned, as is the whole section of town. As such, the Shredder doesn't patrol here much anymore," Mikey smirked. "He doesn't realize that rebel factions are moving in."

"So there _are_ rebel factions!" Leo exclaimed. Mikey raised an eyebrow. "The way Splinter talked, it sounded like all the rebels were stomped out."

"Oh, they're still out there, they're just a lot quieter now to avoid attracting attention until they can fight back. But, that's not important."

"Right," Leo said, getting his attention back on Mikey.

"Might as well start at the beginning, on our last mission together, over ten years ago..."

* * *

_Mikey stood there, shocked. Leo had just been zapped by the portal, and now he was just...gone. There was nothing there except some steam coming from the canons. Nothing was left of Leo, except the empty space he had just been occupying. _

_ And all on top of Donnie being electrocuted. Mikey glance back down at his brother, who was unconscious. The rise and fall of his chest showed that he was still alive, but it was shallow. Raph was in the same state Mikey was; complete shock. He kept looking at the portal, as though expecting Leo to pop right back and say that everything was alright. _

_ They were alone. After the second lightning strike, the Kraang had fled, evidently this being the first time they had been close to Earth lightning. Now, as they sat in the empty TCRI building, with one dying brother and another who had been zapped away from them in a blink, Raph and Mikey were completely at a loss of what to do. _

_ "Did I miss the party?" Mikey and Raph turn at the voice and see Karai standing there, her hand on her hip. _

_ Raph let out a low growl somewhere in the back of his throat. "Go away, Karai. This isn't any of your business."_

_ Karai was about to retort, when Donnie let out a low moan. "Donnie?" Mikey asked quietly, reaching out and stroking him gently, as though he might shatter at the lightest touch. Karai's face morphed into one of questioning as she approached her hands off her weapons as a sign of peace. Raph kept an eye on her and an eye on Donnie. _

_ "What happened to him?" She asked, taking her face mask off. Her expression was hard to read, but she was clearly somewhat upset at this._

_ "Electrocuted, while near some Kraang tech and punching a Kraang droid," Mikey said quietly, almost to himself, as though he was trying to convince himself of what happened. _

_Karai's eyes softened, then widened as she looked around. "Where's Leo?"_

"_Dimension X," Raph gruffly replied. _

"_What?!"_

"_He fell into the Kraang's portal to their dimension. I'm not sure if the lightning did anything to it... Donnie here would know."_

_Karai pressed two fingers to Donnie's neck, the rubbed her hand on his forehead, then moved back to his neck. "His pulse is weakening. He may not make it out of here,"_

"_Don't say that!" Mikey yelled. "We already lost Leo, we can't lose Donnie!" Mikey felt himself whimper. _

"_The Foot Clan HQ isn't that far away. If we leave now and move fast, we could save him."_

"_And go, willingly, to the Foot Clan? I'm not so sure," Raph snapped back. _

"_Raphael, if we don't get your brother to the Foot Clan right now, he'll die! Do you not understand?!" Karai's voice had risen. "I'm offering you the chance to save your brother's life. Unless you want to lose two brothers tonight?"_

"_Raph, we gotta," Mikey said. Raph looked at him, then nodded towards Karai. _

"_Alright. Let's go."_

* * *

"We would've lost Donnie if we hadn't," Mikey explained, trying to plead to Leo, make him understand.

"If I had been there, I probably would have taken her up on the offer to," Leo finally said, meaning every word. Mikey seemed to relax a little before continuing.

"We went straight to the Foot HQ, and they took Donnie to their medical wing immediately. Raph and I waited outside..."

* * *

_Mikey stood outside a door with a red cross on it. He'd seen the same symbol on some of Donnie's first aid books. _

_Donnie...How was he doing in there? _

_Raph sat on the other end of the wall, his head in his hands. Mikey knew that on top of all the worry, Raph was uncomfortable receiving help in enemy territory, but it was the only way to save Donnie. Leo's loss still hadn't quite sunk in; they couldn't bear to lose someone else._

_After almost three hours of waiting, the door opens, and a Foot Clan solider beckons them inside. Karai had assured them that he was a licensed doctor, even though he was in Foot Clan ninja clothes, before mysteriously disappearing. Mikey and Raph nearly trampled him as they ran in. Then they stopped short._

_Donnie lay on a gurney, hooked up to oxygen and a bunch of other tubes and wires, all monitoring heartbeat and blood pressure and a bunch of other things neither brother recognized. They figured that if Donnie was conscious, he's flip out at all the technology he was surrounded by. _

_They slowly approached his bed, and kneeled by it. "Ya there, Donnie?" Raph asked, grabbing his hand. Mikey looked at the hand facing him, which was Donnie's right. It was bandaged. It took Mikey a second to remember that that had been the hand that Donnie had punched the Kraang with when he was electrocuted. There was another bandage on Donnie's right foot, where the electricity must have left his body. Mikey carefully traced the bandage on Donnie's hand. _

_Suddenly, Donnie's eyes fluttered open. "Donnie!" Mikey exclaimed as Donnie slowly began to look around._

"_What...Where...Am I dead?" Donnie said, settling on that question. _

"_Thank heavens you're not!" Raph exclaimed, hugging him quickly. Donnie just smiled softly, patting him on the back with his good hand. _

"_Don't scare me like that again! I thought you were dead!" Mikey said._

"_I'll try not to," Donnie said, chuckling. Something seemed to occur to him. "Leo? Hey, where's Leo? Leo!"_

_Both Mikey and Raph stiffened, looking at each other. Mikey sighed, deciding he'd be the bearer of bad news._

"_Donnie, after you were electrocuted...Leo fell into the portal, and another strike of lightning hit it," Mikey said. Donnie gave him a questioning look. "And it turned on, but it looked different."_

"_Different how?" Donnie asked, calm. Obviously, the impact of Mikey's words hadn't hit him yet._

"_The lights were blue instead of pink. And after they turned on, Leo was...he was gone."_

_Donnie nodded, as though this was a problem he was just starting to figure out. Then, his eyes slowly started widening. Donnie looked at his brothers as Mikey's words hit him slowly._

"_Leo's...gone?" Donnie's voice broke slightly as he said the words, and Mikey allowed tears to fall for the first time. He and Donnie held each other as the horrid news it them, while Raph stood aside, trying and failing to remain tough. No, not tough; strong. They had been able to save Donnie, but they had lost Leo. They were leaderless, without their older brother, their rock. Raph was trying his hardest already to fill those shoes that all three of them knew would never be filled. _

_Donnie pulled away first, drying tears. "We'll go back, and I'll try to take another look at that machine. He might be in Dimension X, or somewhere else. I'll find him, and I'll bring him home..." Donnie muttered, thinking aloud. Raph and Mikey looked at each other. It seemed like false hope, but if someone could figure out what happened, it was Donnie._

"_So, where are we, exactly?" Donnie asked, seeming now to realize he didn't recognize where they were. Again, Raph and Mikey stiffened, and Mikey sent Raph a look. It was on him this time._

"_Uh, well, we're kinda in the Foot Clan Headquarters..." Raph muttered quietly._

"_WHAT?! How?" Donnie yelled, sitting up slightly, now wildly looking around. _

"_Soon after Leo..." Raph trailed off for a few seconds. "Karai showed up, heard what happened, and offered us the medical care. We would have lost you if she hadn't come and offered!" Raph added when Donnie opened his mouth in protest. _

_Donnie gave a sigh, obviously not happy with the set up. He seemed like he was about to say something else when the door behind them opened. A few Foot Clan ninja's walked in, followed by Karai._

_And then the three brother's blood ran cold. _

_Shredder walked in, and looked right at the three of them. Despite it being hard to see his face, they knew that the Shredder was taking sick pleasure at the fact he had three of Splinter's disciples both at his feet and mercy. Mikey glanced at Karai, and was angered at the fact she seemed to feel the exact same way as her father. She must have told him. Mikey shook with rage. She took advantage of their situation to get them here and trap them. But, if they hadn't taken her offer, he would have lost two brothers tonight._

_It was a lose-lose situation, but Mikey felt as though they'd made the right choice__._

* * *

"So, what happened next?" Leo asked. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew that he could trust Mikey. Maybe it was that intuition Splinter always talked about. Maybe he really couldn't let the past go. Or maybe it was some brotherly instinct.

But, Mikey was regaining his trust. He was truly telling Leo everything, and they had been on this roof for a little over an hour talking, and there was no trap, no ambush. Leo didn't even sense anyone around them; they were alone. He had been reunited with one of his brothers, and he was on his side. Leo couldn't stop the joy that filled his chest, and he didn't want to.

But, he could also sense a change in Mikey. He seemed tougher, and much more serious than he used to. Leo figured ten years in the Foot Clan would do that to you.

"Shredder took Raph and me outta there and into prisoner cells. He then tried to get Splinter's location out of us. It... wasn't pretty," Mikey chuckled darkly as he absentmindedly stroked his upper left arm. "That lasted for almost two weeks."

"What about Donnie?"

"Surprisingly, Shredder let him recover. I'm not sure if Shredder even talked to him during that process. Karai would tell me how he was doing when she brought me food. She...I'm not quite sure how she felt about what she did. If she was remorseful about what leading us into a trap."

"She was always hard to read," Leo said, slightly wistful, and Mikey laughed. It felt good to hear Mikey's bright laugh again. "So, after that?" He pressed.

"One day, Shredder didn't come in and ask me about Splinter. I was kinda on guard, thinking he might be trying to throw me off. And I thought that was true when two Foot Clan ninjas came in the next day..."

* * *

_Mikey allowed the Foot ninja's to chain his arms behind him and blindfold him. It was all part of a sick, twisted routine...that had been broken yesterday. Mikey still couldn't figure why he hadn't been "questioned" yesterday, but he assumed that Shredder was trying to throw him off. Well, it wasn't going to work. He knew that if he wanted to get through this he'd need to stay on his toes and keep his head up. _

_As he was lead through the maze of hallways, Mikey mused to himself that the blindfold really was no longer necessary. He'd been lead to and from the room he was being questioned- no, tortured-so many times, that he could get there without the blindfold. He knew all the turns, all the different hallways. Like, they were coming up on a right turn._

_So, Mikey was surprised when they turned left. _

_Were they continuing to throw him off? Had they realized that Mikey had become more familiar with where he continued to be tortured that they were taking him somewhere else? Was he going to Raph? Donnie? He hadn't seen them in two weeks. We're they still alright? _

_Mikey tried to urge himself to stay calm. Tried to remind himself that getting confused and panicking was what Shredder wanted._

_He was harshly thrown into a room on his knees, then unbound and the blindfold removed. As Mikey's eyes adjusted to the light, he looked around. He was in something that he could only call a large gym. There were raised seats, but he couldn't tell if anyone was sitting in them. He was on the floor, which was about the size of a basketball court. He looked towards the other side of the room, where there were two large, metal double doors, with two Foot ninja standing guard. He looked behind him, and saw the same thing. _

_As he looked at the doors behind him, he slowly stood up. As he did so, the guards by the door each threw something. Without really thinking about it, he caught the objects, one in each hand. As his hands wrapped around them, something about them seemed familiar. He looked at the objects. _

_His nunchucks? But, why would they give his weapons back to him?_

_He turned as he heard the doors on the other side of the room opened. A group of about seven Foot ninja's entered the room, all carrying weapons. Mikey began to instinctively twill his nunchucks. _

_The group charged, and Mikey did too. He wrapped his nunchucks around one ninja's wrist, then swung him into two more, tackling them to the ground. He dodged the swing of a katana, then gave the swordsman a sharp kick to the gut. _

_Despite being tired and out of practice, Mikey enjoyed the chance to fight some Foot. He felt some of the tingling of revenge as he smacked another ninja in the face. Wrapping the chain of the nunchucks around the back of the ninja's neck, he pushed his enemies head onto his knee, then kicked him away. _

_The five he'd taken down hadn't gotten up. In fact, some of them were leaving the floor and heading back towards the door they'd entered. Mikey found this strange, but didn't let this distracted him. He still had two left. _

_The last two both carried spears, and they charged blades out. He stood still, planting his feet into the ground. At the last second, he converted his nunchucks into his kusarigama, wrapped the longer chain around the two ninja's, then sent them flying into a wall. He then yanked the chain back, spinning the two to the floor. _

_Mikey watched, breathing heavily, as the two slowly got up and stumbled towards the door. Despite the fact that he was tired and his muscles ached from underuse, Mikey hoped for more ninja's to fight. It had been so long since he'd felt this invigorated. _

_Then, he was tackled suddenly by the four ninja's that had been standing guard. Mikey tried to fight, but his attackers had the element of surprise. They took away his weapon, bounded and blindfolded him, lead him out of the room, and back to his cell, leaving him to wonder about what had just happened._

* * *

"I repeated that process every day for about a week," Mikey said. He then chuckled. "If I had known why Shredder had me fighting his own ninja's, I wouldn't have allowed myself to win every fight."

Leo cocked his head at Mikey. "Why's that?"

"After that week, Karai came into my cell with two Foot ninja's, and told me that 'Mast Shredder has requested your presence.'"

* * *

_Mikey walked behind Karai, and flanked on either side by Foot ninja's. His hands were bound again, but he wasn't blindfolded. He used the chance to look around, and study where he was. They seemed to be walking through a major hallway, as it was large and lead to many rooms and smaller hallways. He was then lead up a large staircase for a few flights until they reached the top, which had two large doors. _

_Karai opened the doors, and lead Mikey in. He walked slowly down the hallway, and quickly deduced that this was Shredder's room. A large, ornate stone chair was up on a platform on the other side of the room. He glanced down to the floor and saw a fish tank. He couldn't help it; he watched the fish swim by, circling in the large tank of water. It was just so mesmerizing that he almost forgot where he was. _

_The door opened, causing Mikey to look up. "Raph!" Mikey cried as his brother was lead in, bound in the same way he was, led by Fishface. His brother looked up, grinned, then broke away from his little guard as they ran towards each other. _

"_Mikey! I was so worried about you? Are you okay?"_

"_I'm fine," Mikey reassured him, then noticed that Raph's right eye was rather swollen. At the same time, Raph noticed the healing cut on Mikey's left arm. _

"_Shredder," They both muttered together. _

"_Have they been taking you to fight Foot ninjas?" Raph asked, trying to switch topics._

"_How'd you know?"_

"_They've been doing the same thing to me..."_

_The doors opened again, causing Raph and Mikey to look. Dogpound walked in, and behind him was Donnie, sitting in a wheelchair that was being pushed by a Foot ninja. _

"_Donnie," Mikey and Raph breathed together, before running over to him. Donnie looked up, meeting their eyes._

"_Guys..." He said, disbelief filling his voice. "You're okay."_

"_We can say the same about you," Raph said. "Looks like Karai was right; you were allowed to recover."_

"_Yeah..." Donnie muttered, then Mikey noticed the tears welling up in his eyes. "But, were they had me recovering was very close to where he was...torturing you two. I was never questioned, but I was forced to listen. Then, a week ago, I didn't hear you guys anymore and I thought..." His voice broke off, and he looked down, trembling. _

"_Donnie, we're fine," Mikey said, consoling his brother. _

"_Minor injuries aside," Raph muttered. "And we didn't say anything," He added in a whisper. _

"_So, what happened?"_

"_We were forced to fight Foot ninja's," Raph said. "We're not sure why."_

"_Were you allowed your weapons?" Donnie asked, and the broken, grief-filled turtle was gone. He was replaced by the Donnie Mikey and Raph knew; smart and calculating. Why the two of them were forced to fight members of the Foot was a problem for him to solve._

"_Yeah, but they took them from us after the fight was over," Mikey said. _

"_Hmm...And it was just once a day? How many Foot did you have to fight? Did they get up when knocked you down, or did the leave?"_

"_Yes. Anywhere between five and ten. And they left," Raph said, answering all of Donnie's questions. Donnie seemed to ponder this for a few seconds, then something came to him. Before he could tell them, they heard the familiar sounds of metal footsteps. _

_The guards directed Raph and Mikey closer to Shredder's chair, and another wheeled Donnie closer. As Shredder walked in and sat down, the Foot ninja in the room bowed, but the three turtles didn't move._

"_Unbind them," Shredder said, and a few Foot ninjas walked over to Mikey and Raph and took their handcuffs off. _

"_I have a proposition for you turtles," Shredder began. "It has come to my attention that your leader, Leonardo, went missing after falling into the Kraang portal."_

"_We got back into TCRI," Karai said, walking forward. Her expression was unreadable. "We were able to repair some of the damage to the portal. We found no trace of Leonardo in the Kraang's home dimension." _

_Mikey tried to not to look like this news hurt him more than it did. He looked over at his brothers. Raph was masking the horror of this well, but his eyes betrayed him. Mikey could see the sadness and shock in them. Donnie wasn't holding up as well; his head was bowed down, and Mikey could seem him shaking with the effort to not cry. _

_Mikey felt himself shake as well, and he felt the room start to spin. He focused on his breathing, and it went back to normal. But, his mind was another story. _

"_Raphael, Michelangelo," Shredder called suddenly, causing all three of their heads to snap up. "I've been watching your training sessions. And I am aware of both Donatello's intelligence and fighting ability. Your skills are impressive, and I could use those skills."_

_Mikey heard Donnie gasp and mutter "I knew it,"_

"_I am asking you to join me and the Foot Clan."_

"_And what if we say no?" Raph asked, fire in his eyes. But, Shredder just chuckled, as if Raph had said an amusing joke._

_He pulled out the blades in his gauntlets, causing all three of them to flinch. "Then, I will get Splinter's location out of you, and then kill you," He then pulled the blades away. "If you take me up on my offer, I'll let you live. I'll even leave Splinter alone. Your choice."_

_Mikey walked over to Donnie, Raph following behind. He looked at his brothers. Both Raph and Donnie's eyes were wide, and Mikey could tell his face mirrored there's. _

_After a bit of silent deliberation, Donnie nodded slowly. Mikey looked at Raph. _

"_We'll find a way out of this," Raph whispered, before getting up and looking at Shredder._

"_We accept." _


	8. Tales of Mikey, Part 2

_Chapter 8 and part 2! This is my longest chapter ever, so have fun guys! XD Again, we'll do this flashback style, so same rules apply from the chapter 7. Also, this one gets rather violent... Let's continue on, shall we? XD_

**Yep, you guys are hooked.**

* * *

"I get it," Leo said a few moments after Mikey finished talking. "You three were trying to protect Splinter."

Mikey nodded. "That was our goal. We met later that night, and agreed that we would play along for a while, then try to escape and get home. We just wanted Shredder off _Sensei_'s back and for us to live to come home to him.

"The second part of our plan was where we ran into problems. Donnie was still recovering, though he was about back to normal. Also, we were under almost constant surveillance. Shredder probably figured we were planning on leaving."

"So, how did Raph get out for a while?" Leo asked, recalling Splinter and April's story.

"Right..." Mikey muttered, then trailed off. Then, he gasped and placed his head to his hands, his face contorting in pain.

"Mikey!" Leo exclaimed, rushing over to comfort him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, this is where things get weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, weird. And fuzzy. I have a hard time remembering details. Just day after day of training. Donnie started a half-training, half-therapy thing two weeks after we joined which ended after about six weeks? I'm not sure. I remember that there was about a month were Raph would disappear for the day, only to return at night. He never really told us what he was doing...But he was going home to Splinter, wasn't he?"

Leo nodded. "April and Splinter told me after I meet up with them. He told them about TCRI, and you guys being prisoners, but not members. He left at night, saying that he was working at breaking you two out. Then, after a month, he never came back."

"I remember that. He said that 'His mission was over' or something," Mikey seemed to be getting frustrated. "I don't understand this! My memories are fine up until we join the Foot, then they get fuzzy for almost eight years!"

"Do you think it's something the Shredder did?"

"I don't know, but I think so. I've been trying to keep a sharper eye on things now that my mind's clearer, but I'm not sure what I'm missing. I wish Donnie was still on our side; he'd be able to find out what was going on..."

Leo felt his face fall. "So, they're still loyal to the Foot?"

"Yeah, and I hate to admit it, but I was for a while, during that fuzzy period. I can remember some benchmarks, though. Bigger events. We spent a year and a half working to take down the Kraang. That battle I remember clear as day..."

* * *

_Mikey stood between his brothers, where they were flanked by fellow Foot Clan ninja's, in Master Shredder's room. This night was big, and the energy in the room was tangible. They'd been working at this for over a year; tonight was Operation: Reclaim Earth. Tonight, they took down the Kraang. For good. _

_Mikey grinned, knowing that he and his brothers had been a huge help in getting to this point. They'd fought the Kraang plenty of times before they joined the Foot Clan. All their knowledge about the species, plus Donnie's ability to work with their technology, had sped this mission up considerably. It was hard to imagine that their last fight was upon them. _

_All those old fights with the Kraang...Mikey could help but reminisce. Their first street level fight, which was a disaster, and all the other ones that followed, which were much more successful: Donnie taking out Metalhead, Raph with the Spy-Roach, Leo electrocuting Justin._

_A sharp pain ripped through Mikey's temples and he tried to hide the pain. If he appeared injured, he'd be kicked out of the mission, and no one would ever let him live that down. _

_Karai came up and stood in front of them. It was well-known that she was leading this mission. "Okay, guys, we've been training and planning for this for months. We can do this. Let's go," She said, sliding her mask on, and leading them out. _

_Mikey and his brothers walked with the others, following Karai to the roof. There, they'd run to TCRI. As they did so, Mikey took in as much fresh air as he could. He hadn't been outside in months, as they'd been inside training. Also, a giant, mutant turtle would still cause problems. But, Mikey still missed the nights they'd spend out, patrolling the city, Leo out in front._

_And there was that headache again. Mikey tried to not let it show, but that was evidently not working, because Raph sent him a look. They'd had the new mask and gear for a little over a year now; Master Shredder had given it to them when they had fully earned his trust. It had taken some getting used to, having to read faces without seeing eyes, but they'd made it work. Mikey shrugged off Raph's concern, and they kept running. _

_Once they got to TCRI, they scanned the perimeter of the roof. Karai nodded to Donnie, who walked forward and cut a small circle in the glass, then hooked something up to it that looked like a small vacuum cleaner. "That should clear up the air in about five minutes," He said. _

"_Good, now we sneak in," Karai said, before leaping off the side of the building. No one moved as they waited for the sound of her whistle, which came quickly, followed by a few rappel cables she threw up. They slid down silently in groups of three, and entered through a window on the normal, human levels of the building. _

_The slipped through rows of cubicles silently, Donnie using a small, handheld device to disable alarms as they went. Mikey smiled, knowing that Donnie loved all the new technology he'd gotten to work with over the past year, instead of forcing to use scraps. _

_They got to an elevator, where Donnie used the same device to get clearance to the upper floors._

"_The oxygen levels should be breathable by the time we get there," Donnie informed them as they all stepped onto the elevator. "They might be mildly distracted trying to figure out what happened to their air, but they'll notice us quickly and put the pieces together."_

"_And we'll be ready for them," Karai said, pulling out her katana. The others followed suit, and Mikey gave his nunchucks a twirl. He glanced at Raph and Donnie, and an idea came to him. _

"_High three?" He whispered to them, raising a hand. His brothers reacted with a light amount of shock, then Donnie chuckled and placed his hand on Mikey's, with Raph quickly following suit. They grinned at each other, but the doors opened, they were back to being serious. Mikey ignored another small wave of pain. _

_They charged as soon as the door opened, and they were immediately on the offensive. Donnie was right; the Kraang had been so distracted by the air leak, they didn't even see them coming until it was too late. _

_Mikey quickly overpowered one, knocking the Kraang from the robot, then smacking it repeatedly over the head with his nunchucks. He moved on to the next three, taking them all down in a similar fashion. _

_He glanced over at Raph, and Mikey's eyes widened at what he saw. There was a Kraang impaled on the end of one of Raph's sais. Mikey watched in light horror as he took the other sai and stabbed it through another Kraang still in a robot body, then yanked it out. The robot fell quickly, and the Kraang only struggled for a few seconds before it crumbled on Raph's sai. He shook them loose, then went after two more. _

"_It's the only way to kill 'em, Mikey," Donnie said, soft but stoic, coming from behind him. It took Mikey a second to see that Donnie had the hidden blade in his staff out, which was dripping with something. Mikey nodded, then converted to a kusarigama, pulling it's blade out. _

_He dodged the laser blast from a Kraang, the used the extra chain to pull the gun out of its hand. With a deep breath, he charged, then slashed at the Kraang's face with his blade. It squealed and bled a little, a weird clear-ish color. He set his face, and used the blade to claw the Kraang from the robot. All the gashes it gave it killed the alien before it was even out of the robot. Mikey watched it hit the floor, before moving on, continuing the gory routine. _

_Only an hour and a half later, and their mission was about over. Kraang pieces and blood littered the floor, and it was hard to walk through it. Mikey stood guard with the others as Karai, Donnie, and another ninja went through and stripped all the technology from the room, sliding it into bags. _

"_Okay guys, we've got everything we can use," Karai said. "Destroy the rest."_

_And destroy they did. They ripped and tore and broke everything. Mikey and his brothers worked on the portal, dismantling the cannons. Raph tore of the entire top part of one off and threw it to the ground. The whole process took less than ten minutes._

"_Good work, guys. Master Shredder will be pleased," Karai said as they left the building. "Operation: Reclaim Earth is a success. The Kraang are no longer a problem." _

_As Mikey left with the others, he looked around at the ruins of TCRI. His eyes fell on the dismantled portal, and something stirred in him. There was something he forgot, something about that portal...Mikey shrugged it off as nothing, and left the building._

* * *

"That explains TCRI..." Leo muttered, and Mikey looked at him.

"You were the security breach a few weeks ago! That reminds me; how'd you get here? You still look fifteen."

"That's cause I still _am_," Leo said, then told Mikey everything that had happened in the few weeks he'd been in this year.

"So you _time traveled_?! That is so cool! Well, except for the whole bad future and everything, but still! What was it like?"

"I honestly don't remember. One moment, I was hit by the portal, the next I was here, in the ruins of TCRI," Something occurred to Leo. "If you guys destroyed the portal, how did I even get here?"

"That's a Donnie question, bro," Mikey said, and Leo nodded in agreement.

"Maybe it was a combination of the lightning strike in my time, and the damage you guys did to it years ago. Or maybe there was a fail-safe..." Leo muttered aloud.

"Good theories, but like I said, Donnie question," Mikey said.

"Right, we can worry more about that later. What happened after that, if you can remember?"

"Like so much else, it's fuzzy. I remember we immediately worked on helping Shredder take over right after we took down the Kraang. The Kraang tech Donnie and Karai nabbed was a huge help, especially against the rebel fractions."

"April and Splinter said that they worked with a few," Leo said. Then, he asked a dangerous question. "Did you ever see them during that time?"

"No," Mikey said, and Leo could hear the certainty in his voice. "Despite how blurry everything else seems, I know I didn't see Master Splinter or April during that entire four and a half year period. I think Shredder purposefully kept us away from the rebel fractions they allied with. Like he was afraid we'd defect or something."

"_Sensei_ says that it's been five years since Shredder really secured power."

"And _Sensei_'s right. I remember we had a huge celebration after that. Shredder than began setting up the new government, coercing leaders he hadn't killed into implementing his policies. The actual government is run by a bunch of other people, while Shredder takes the credit. Shredder mostly runs the military stuff, AKA the Foot Clan."

"So, except with regards to the Foot, Shredder's a figurehead?" Mikey nodded. "What after that?"

"That's where things get really bad for me, memory-wise. It's almost three years of my life that I can't even remember. I know mine, Donnie's, and Raph's identities were let out during the revolution, so we're known to the general public now, as are Dogpound and Fishface. They're in other parts of the country, I think. I also know that Donnie, Raph, and I mostly just patrolled, acting like a police force, catching law breakers and trying to discourage any rebel activity. Three mutant ninja turtles on the side of a dictator patrolling the streets really keep people indoors."

"Speaking of that, where is everyone?"

"Either in government mandated work or school, or at home. There's a curfew that starts almost as soon as work and school ends, which keeps people inside and not meeting to discuss overthrowing Shredder. It never completely works, though."

There's a pause as Leo absorbs all this info. "You said earlier that about eight years of your memory is fuzzy. Yet, ten years have passed. What happened to the other two?"

At this, Mikey grins. "This is when things get clear again, which is why I think that the Shredder has something to do with my memory loss. It started one night, when Raph, Donnie, and I were on patrols. We got a tip that there was a meeting of a rebel fraction, from some crazy person who actually agrees with the Shredder's leadership."

"There's always a small minority of crazy people," Leo says, and Mikey chuckles.

"Yep. Anyway, we headed over to where the crazy person had told us the meeting was going on..."

* * *

"_All right! Some action!" Raph called out in excitement as he led Mikey and Donnie across rooftops. An observant citizen noticed that some rebels were meeting in an old deli near his house. Never mind breaking curfew; any action against the rule of Master Shredder was traitorous, and a serious crime. _

_Mikey grinned. Raph was right; they so rarely got to do much. Mostly they patrolled, watching to make sure people followed curfew, and arresting those who didn't. Those who only broke curfew got up to a year in a labor camp. Really, a rather light punishment. And if they're caught doing anything else..._

_Mikey didn't reflect too much about the punishment waiting for the rebellious heathens they were about to arrest, but he knew it was one of the worst you could get. And they deserved it. Even talking against Master Shredder was an insult to his great leadership._

_They made it to the roof across the street from the building they'd gotten the tip about. The building itself was dilapidated, and the windows were covered with sheets of plywood. "Let's see if this is valid," Donnie said as he pulled out a pair of binoculars. Mikey knew they weren't normal binoculars, but ones that could sense heat. Donnie had tried to explain how they worked to him once, but it just went in one ear and out the other. _

_Donnie pulled his mask from his eyes - he couldn't see through the binoculars well with the red mesh in the way - and peered through. "Yep, there are people in there. A large group of them too. This tip was a good one."_

_They pulled out their weapons, leapt to the street, and made their way over to the building. As they crossed, Mikey saw someone look at them quickly, before drawing the blinds tightly shut._

_They pressed themselves against the side of the door. Raph gave them a signal to wait. He'd been leading them for years. It was hard to imagine him not being the leader. He'd even been longer than Leonardo had been._

_ Huh...Leonardo didn't pop into his thoughts often. It didn't matter, as the mission's more important. Mikey ignored a small spasm of pain in his head. _

_ Raph gave them another signal, this one telling them to prepare to enter. Then, he broke through the plywood and jumped through the hole. Mikey followed him in, and Donnie brought up the rear. _

_ They came in to see a large group of people, a mixture of men and women, all of them at least the age of older teens. They sat on the floor or in old chairs, surrounding a man in his mid-thirties, who seemed to be in the middle of speaking. The whole group looked at Mikey and his brothers, their eyes widening as they realized they'd been caught._

_ "You all are under arrest by order of Lord Shredder," Raph said, sais out._

_ And the room exploded into pandemonium, as people ran everywhere in mad attempts to escape. Using his nunchucks, Mikey wrapped a group of escapees and threw them against a wall, knocking them out. They'd wake up where they should be; in a prison cell. _

_ Mikey then noticed the leader making his way to a side door. "I'm going after the leader!" He cried to his brothers, and began running. _

_ "Go get 'em, Mikey!" Raph called back as Mikey charged. The man looked behind him, saw Mikey on his tail, then threw a smoke bomb as he ran through the door. Mikey just got through the door before it went off. _

_ He caught up to the man quickly in the alleyway, tackling him to the ground and wrapping his nunchucks around his neck. _

_ The man began to choke, but he somehow found the strength to turn and look at Mikey. _

_ "Miche...Michelangelo?" The man choked out. _

_ "Yeah, so?" Mikey harshly responded back. Plenty of citizens knew his name; he and his brothers were some of the Foot Clan's top ninjas. _

_ "I met...your father...Hamato Yoshi,"_

_ And that's when Mikey dropped him. "Splinter..." He muttered to himself, while the main gasped for air on the ground below him, but he hardly paid any attention. It had been so long since he'd thought of Splinter. _

_ Mikey gasped as a roaring pain exploded in his head. Memories, things he hadn't thought about in years spun through his mind: Training sessions, his old home in the sewers, an older one of Splinter playing with him when he was little. _

_He was confused. Why was he suddenly remembering these things now? He shouldn't be. That was the past, his weak past he'd left behind. He needed to focus on the mission. _

_The man sensed Mikey's weakness. "You do still remember him, right? The man who's raised you since you and your brothers were mutated along with him. Don't tell me you've forgotten about your father?"_

"_When and where did you meet him?" Mikey breathed. _

"_Years ago. About five or six. We were in a rebel group then, and he gave me shelter when you and the other Foot where after me," He paused, then continued. "He told me all about his life, and you and your brother's past. About his old rivalry with the Shredder, or Oroku Saki as he called him. About how he raised you and your brothers in the sewers, and taught you ninjutsu."_

_Mikey's head pulsated. More memories rushed by; Mutation days, they day the received their weapons, them convincing Splinter to let them go up to the surface._

_The man was on a roll. "He told me about you and your brother's missions up to the surface, how you fought Kraang and the Foot Clan. How you helped and befriended April O'Neil. Remember her? Cause I met her too, and she remembers you still."_

_April...When they first met her, which really didn't go all that well, days they spent training, going into her school to protect her from the Kraang bot, the day she took out Karai._

_The pain and the sensation of all these memories rushing back to him caused Mikey to drop to his knees, his hands on his head. He wanted to beg the man to stop, but some part of him suppressed that urge. Like he wanted the pain and the memories._

"_You guys used to be heroes! Going up to the surface and taking down everything from random mutant monsters to the man you work for now! How could you three have thrown it all away? How could you have betrayed your Sensei, your master, your father, for the monster who completely ruined his life? How could you have seemingly forgotten your own brother, who died doing a heroes work? What would Leonardo say to you right now if he were here?"_

"_I-I-" Mikey stuttered. Everything was spinning and his vision was blurring. He could barely see the man anymore. "I don't know!" He finally yelled. "I don't know..." He repeated, only whispered._

"_And you know what's amazing? Hamato-san still loves you three like you never left. He still cares for you, and worries about you. When we were fighting, he told us to make sure we didn't kill you or your brothers. Even after you turned you back on him for his worst enemy, he still loves you. I don't know how you could leave a man like that."_

_Mikey felt something wet upon his cheeks. It took him a few seconds to realize that they were tears. _

_This man...he was telling the truth._

_A searing pain ripped through Mikey's mind, and he ended up screaming from the pain, causing the man to jump. It felt like some unseen pair of hands was ripping his brain in two. _

_Suddenly, a new memory flashed through. It was Leo, way back when they were fifteen. He was standing over Mikey, who was on the ground. Leo smile softly and put his hand out. Mikey felt himself hesitate. Then, he reached out and took his brothers hand._

_And, suddenly, everything became clear. His head stopped hurting, his vision sharpened, and everything suddenly made sense. He remembered details he'd forgotten for years; the first fifteen years of his post-mutation life, that fateful mission into TCRI eight years ago, how they had been tortured and forced to the join the Foot. But, from that point on, everything else was foggy. _

_But, that didn't matter. Mikey felt like he'd woken up from a long sleep, one that had been desperately needed. And now that he'd gotten that rest, everything seemed clear and right. He looked at the Foot Clan gear he had on, and wondered exactly when that had happened. When had they become totally loyal to the Shredder? When had he left his past behind? When did he and his brothers forget the real reason they had joined the Foot in the first place; to protect Master Splinter?_

_He stood up slowly and looked around. The dark sky, the tightly drawn blinds, the trash and pollution and blight everywhere. He looked to the skyscrapers in the distance and saw that they were almost completely dark. Shredder hadn't created a utopia; he'd run the world into the ground. _

_He looked at the man, who flinched away. Mikey couldn't blame him. The whole world was scared of him and his brothers. They'd become the very type of ninja they'd fought against; the kind that oppressed people, instead of freeing them. _

"_You... You're right," Mikey said, and as a sign of surrender, he dropped his nunchucks. _

_The man looked at him carefully. "You and your brothers... You're just more victims too, aren't you?" He finally said. Mikey slowly nodded. They looked at each other, both victims of the Foot in two completely different ways. _

"_Go," Mikey finally said. The man looked at him. "I said 'Go'. You need to get out of here. Raph and Donnie...they still don't know yet, and if they see you..."_

"_I get it," The man said, nodding, then he turned and started to run._

"_Hey!" Mikey called out at the last minute. The man turned to look at him. "If you see Master Splinter again, tell him I'm sorry."_

_Mikey seemed to wait forever, then the man slowly nodded, and then took off into the night. _

_He watched for what seemed like forever, but only a minute passed when he heard a door slam open. _

"_Hey, Mikey! Where's the coward who ran?" Raph called out, and Mikey winced at the malice in his brother's voice. He'd always had a sharp edge, but when did that...almost bloodthirsty sound make its way into his voice?_

"_I'm sorry, he somehow got the better of me. Hid and hit me with something large. Knocked me out," Mikey muttered, afraid of what his brother might do._

_Much to his relief, Raph just sighed. "It happens to the best of us. A few others also got away, but we got plenty of prisoners. Donnie's helping some other ninjas load them up."_

_Mikey tried not to wince. Was this what he was used to? What had happened to them that made them act this way?_

_Raph looked at Mikey hard. "Hey, it's okay. It happens. They get away sometimes. I won't tell Master Shredder that you let him get away, alright? We'll just say he ran off. We wouldn't really be lying," He said, nudging him lightly. Mikey was reminded of the old Raph, the one he only recently remembered again. It gave him a little hope that the old Raph and Donnie where still buried somewhere, just like Mikey had been. He'd just have to get them free again. _

"_Yeah, that'd be good."_

* * *

Leo just stared at Mikey. "So, that man somehow got passed whatever the Shredder did to your memories and you realized what was going on?"

Mikey nodded. "From that day on, I've been a double agent. I've been feeding the Foot false leads and giving rebel fractions help, by giving them food and removing Foot placed wiretaps in their meeting places. I've even been secretly helping April; I know her food gathering routes, so I've been leaving extra food for her to find."

"But, Master Splinter and April don't know."

"Not yet, and only the leaders of the various rebel fractions know I'm helping them too. I'm still technically in the Foot Clan, but I'm working slowly to take them down from the inside. Much of my success right now is because Shredder still thinks I'm on his side."

"And Raph and Donnie?"

Mikey sighed. "I've been having getting through to them. It's partially because I can't mention much about our past around them without raising suspicion, but I don't think I could even get them to remember everything again. It needs to be someone on the outside."

"I might be able to help," Leo said.

"Yeah, maybe one day," Mikey said, standing up. Leo followed suit, and it occurred to him that, technically, Mikey was older than him. And though parts of the younger Mikey still shone though, he was still harder and less optimistic than he used to be. Leo was starting to see that this world hardened everyone, even himself. "For now, though, it's best that the Shredder not know you're around."

"Yeah, you're right," Leo said. "You've gotta head back, don't you?"

"Yeah, I've been gone too long. I can't go around raising suspicion. My instincts are telling me to keep this double agent thing up for now. But, one day, I'll fight with you again."

"I'll look forward to that day," Leo said, smiling, and Mikey returned it. "Can I at least tell Splinter and April you're on our side now? Just so they know."

Mikey thought for a second. "Yes. Tell them for me. I've wanted to tell them for a while know, but was never able to."

"They'll understand why."

"Yeah, I know they will. Till next time," Mikey said, then tied the Foot mask on his face and began to run off.

"Mikey!" Leo called suddenly, when Mikey was on the next roof. Mikey turned to look at him. "High three!"

Mikey paused, then grinned and rushed towards him. As Mikey returned the gesture, Leo saw the old Mikey smile; the large, cheeky grin that seemed to take up his whole face.

"Booyakasha!"


	9. Food for Thought

_Chapter 9! So, with Mikey back on the side of justice *Cue Captain Ryan*, how will Splinter and April react to the news? This isn't what I'd consider a full-on breather chapter, but it's less intense than the last two. __Also, quick note: I just finished week one of band camp, which is why updates have been slow. And, believe it or not, I leave tomorrow for band camp, part two, so chapter 10 won't be up until a week from today. I apologize for having to space stuff out, but that's RL for ya. Anywho, enjoy! :D_

**I have some very loyal friends who would not appreciate me being sued. You'd be surprised at how much damage a book can do in the right hands.**

* * *

Leo ran through the sewers, a large grin on his face. Mikey was on his side, and working towards taking the Shredder down. And there was a chance they could get Donnie and Raph back too. This was the best news he'd gotten since getting sent here.

"_Sensei_! April!" Leo cried out as he got close to the lair. He was elated, and he couldn't wait to tell them. He felt like he was about to burst.

"_Sensei_! April!" He yelled again as he entered, and they ran out with worried expressions. Both had weapons out and were looking behind Leo, as though some enemy would suddenly pop out.

"Guys, it's fine," Leo said. "Actually, it's better than fine!"

"Leonardo, don't scare me like that," Splinter said firmly, though he didn't raise his voice. April slipped away her fan, but still kept the hard look in his eyes.

"What happened up on the surface?" Splinter asked.

"Mikey...he's on our side!" Leo said. He was met with confused looks.

April walked forward. "Leo, Michelangelo is with the Foot Clan. We told you this," She said, in a manner almost like she was telling a child some horrible news.

"No, you don't understand," Leo said, shaking his head. "I met with him-"

"You did WHAT?" April yelled, and she instinctively pulled out her fan, causing Leo to take a few steps back and pull out his swords. "You _know_ that it's important that the Shredder not know you were here, and then you go and talk to one of his followers? Are you _crazy_?"

"Would you listen to me?!" Leo shot back, aiming his katanas at her. "He told me everything, including why he, Donnie, and Raph turned."

"It's cause they wanted to!"

"No, they were forced to! It was either die or join, and by joining, they got the Shredder off _Sensei_'s back! And Shredder's been doing something to their memories so they've forgotten everything! Just trust me on this!"

"No, because you're not used to this new world. You're still caught up in the past, and you can't accept the fact that things are different, and that your brother's left you! You can't accept the fact that they're gone!"

Leo decided to switch tactics, and stop yelling. "Haven't you noticed over the past two years you've been finding more food when you go up? Mikey's been leaving it for you. He's a double agent, going against the Foot, and he's doing a lot by pretending that he's still allied with them."

"You're just delusional. Call me when you're back in the real world," She spat, sheathed her fan, then stomped to her room.

"_Sensei_, you have to believe me," Leo said, looking at Splinter with desperate eyes.

"I can see April's point of view. But, I am willing to hear you side of the story, which may end up also being Michelangelo's," He said, then turned towards the dojo, and Leo followed. He told the entire story to Splinter, which took almost two hours. When he was finished, Splinter sat there for a second.

"I believe you. It explains a lot, including some of the things I have been hearing from rebel leaders. And, yes, I have been talking to a few of them," He said, seeing Leo's expression. "I may not be actively fighting against the Shredder, but I am still against his rule. I have not seen the one Michelangelo told you about in years, but I do recall him."

"Why didn't April believe me?" Leo muttered.

"She has not heard the whole story. I myself had doubts when you first told us, but I was willing to listen. April...she has always been headstrong, and that has only grown as the years have passed. While it's good at times, there are moments it gets in the way of rational thinking.

"Remember that she has also been though all these years, while you had the luxury of skipping. She has seen your brothers fighting for the other side. She's much more wary than you remember her being. But, she will come around."

"It's just so great knowing that Mikey's on our side again."

"Yes, it is," Splinter said, smiling warmly. "Come on, it's late. You should be in bed. And so should I," Splinter said, yawning slightly. Leo said his goodnights, then walked to his room. As he passed by April's, he paused. Splinter was right; she'd been through a lot, which made it harder for her to trust things. But, she'd come around.

Leo collapsed into bed, the night's adventures wearing him out, and he was asleep quickly.

* * *

A few days later, Leo was practicing against a training dummy, completely in the zone. Which is why he jumped five feet when April tapped him on the shoulder.

"GAH! Don't do that!" He said, as April laughed. As annoyed as Leo was, it was nice to hear April laugh again.

"I was just about to head topside to get food. You're allowed to come now, so..."

Leo didn't say anything; he just grinned and ran out to the entrance of the lair, April following behind.

April let Splinter know where they were going, grabbed a few duffle bags, and they headed out into the sewers. They got to the manhole that Leo normally used, and was surprised when April walked by.

"There's another one that I start with, then I circle around and end up at that one. It's a bit of a walk now, but it's better than taking this walk with full bags of food," April explained.

Almost twenty minutes later, April stopped at a manhole ladder and made her way up, Leo following close behind.

"Stay near me at all times. And keep your katanas out. Normally, I don't get into any skirmishes, but you never know," April instructed, pulling out her fan.

"And who exactly do you skirmish with?"

"Other scavengers. They're usually homeless. Most of my route avoids them, though, and I have a rep that you shouldn't mess with me."

They were quiet from there on out, as Leo followed April through a path made up of roofs, fire escapes, alley ways, and even a few major streets, though they were in parts of town that obviously hadn't been lived in for years. Digging through trash, grabbing packages of food that came from who knows where. Leo didn't ask any questions, just simply putting the food that she handed him into the bags.

Leo could tell what food had been left by Mikey. It was obviously newer and of a higher quality than some of their other things. He knew that Splinter had told April Mikey's full story, but she was still stubborn in her belief that Mikey was still fully on Shredder's side.

Still Leo kept a track at the stuff he figured Mikey had left for them: Bread, cheese, pepperoni...

They then got to a large can, lying in an alleyway near their normal manhole. April picked it up. "Pizza sauce? Where'd this come from?"

Leo spotted a note attached to the back. "April, look," He said, then pulled the note off and handed it to April. She immediately put it on the ground, then pulled a small bottle. She squeezed a few drops onto the paper and watched the small beads of liquid.

"Uh, April...what are you doing?" Leo asked.

"Testing to make sure it isn't laced with anything poisonous. If there's a reaction, we know there's something on the paper. The kit isn't foolproof, and it only reacts to common poisons, but it's better than nothing."

Five minutes passed, and nothing had happened. April sighed. "I guess it's clean," She said, then picked the paper up. Leo read it over her shoulder:

April-

I kinda occurred to me than you all might not be buying what Leo's told you about me. Well, it's true. I'm sorry for everything I've done, and that I haven't been able to tell you that I'm on your side again. Please believe me, and Leo. I hope you enjoy the food. :)

-Mikey

Leo couldn't help but grin, and he chuckled a little to see that Mikey had doodled a quick sketch of himself at the bottom waving at them.

April, however, scanned the letter a few times. Then, she started laughing.

"What?" Leo asked.

"Pizza. He's been leaving us pizza ingredients," She said, then laughed harder. "It's hard to argue that he's against us now when he's appeasing us with pizza," She kept laughing. "I mean, it's so Mikey."

Leo looked at her in surprise. "You said Mikey."

April smiled as she carefully folded the letter and put it in her knapsack. "Yeah, I did. There's just too much proof saying that Mikey's on our side. You can't argue with the fact he's pretty much giving us pizza, even if we have to make and cook it.

"And I guess everything that's happened is affecting me more than I'd like to admit. I'm more cynical, more paranoid. And I...I just got so angry when I saw that they'd left us for the Foot Clan. You guys where the best friends I'd ever had. Then, you disappeared and they left for the bad guys, and it...it was just hard to take. I hit a rough patch, and I dealt with it wrongly. I started to hate them," April bit her lip, and Leo could tell she was trying not to cry.

"Then, you came back, fresh from the past, and still mentally stuck there. You kept reminding me of what I'd left behind, and that was both good and bad. And then you say that Mikey's good again, and I just couldn't handle it. Because if he could switch back, so could Raph and Donnie, and they very well could, considering how they were pulled in. And then I wouldn't have anything to hate anymore, and then what could I do?" She sat on the ground as tears began to fall down her face.

"I've been living on this hate for so long, I'm not sure how to deal with the sadness if I have nothing to direct it towards. And I don't want to just switch to the Shredder or something, because I'm tired of living on nothing but hate. But I don't know how!"

At this point, she was sobbing. Leo quickly pulled her into a hug, which she accepted just as quickly.

"You can't live on hate, and it's good that you know that. But, you need to find something else that you can live for," Leo said, stroking her hair. "You could live for Splinter and helping him out. You could live for the day when we get Donnie and Raph back. You could live for the hope of a better future."

"How come you seem to always know what to say?" April muttered, and Leo chuckled.

"It's a learned skill."

April slowly got up, then brushed away stray tears. She then pulled Leo into another hug.

"Thanks," She whispered, then pulled away. She glanced down at the ground, where the jar of pizza sauce sat. Reaching down, she picked it up and slipped it into a bag.

"Come on, Leo, we're almost home. And this pizza's not gonna make itself."


	10. Secret Plans

_Chapter 10! I'm back! :) A rather short chapter, but you'll see why in a second. ;)_

**Go on, keep reading. You know you want to.**

* * *

Leaving notes turned out to be a great way to communicate with Mikey. Leo and April would go topside and get food, and leave Mikey a note. The next time they went up, Mikey would have left a reply. It was easy, untraceable, and left both Mikey's cover of being in the Foot and Leo's cover of being dead intact.

Mostly, they used the notes as a way to catch up and talk about things. Splinter wrote a lot of notes as well, and Mikey often left notes just for him. He sometimes put small details about Foot activity, but usually only if it might have an effect on Leo and April's food gathering.

A few weeks passed as this system continued. One day, Leo woke up and, with a jolt, realized he'd been in this time for a month. It scared him slightly how he seemed to have adjusted to this new life. If you had told him a month ago that all of this would happen to him, he would have laughed it off. Now, it was slowly becoming almost...normal.

_But, this can't become normal. I still need to take down the Shredder._

However, that was easier said than done. Despite the revelation that Mikey was on their side, Splinter still was firm in his belief that they had to wait before taking down the Shredder. And though Leo saw his viewpoint better now – Shredder was insanely powerful – he still felt like they needed at least something resembling a plan that could start to weaken Shredder's regime. But, Leo stuck with _Sensei_'s plan.

Still, as Leo walked into the main part of the lair, he couldn't help but wonder when this whole would became "normal". When did he stop double taking when he saw the older April? When did he get used to not seeing his brothers in the lair? When did having to scavenge even more food become routine?

"My son," Leo jumped slightly at the sound of Splinters voice behind him, gentle and comforting. He placed a soft hand on Leo's shoulder. "What is troubling you?"

"I've been here for a month, and... I've adjusted so well. Almost too well. I mean, I can still remember everything before I came here, but this isn't foreign anymore. Shouldn't this still feel weird? Shouldn't I still feel like this is wrong?"

"Large changes like what you've experienced can be difficult to take at first. But, one of the ninja's most useful skills is adaptation. We adapt to new situations, and we get used to a new normal. If there is something constant about normal, it is that it changes. And an ability to adapt to changes is something that will make you strong.

"Yes, this world, this time is wrong in many ways. And one day, it'll change and become better. But, it will never go back to the old normal. That is something you must accept. But, adapting to a foreign situation, even if it is 'wrong', is not a bad thing. It is the mark of a skilled ninja, and a mature person."

Splinter smiled warmly at him, then walked off. While Leo felt a little bit better, he still wasn't sure he was happy with how well he seemed to be taking all of this change. But, he decided it was better than moping around.

"Leonardo, are you coming to training or not?" Splinter called out from the dojo.

"_Hai, Sensei_," Leo called back, ready to relax his mind some.

A few days later, Leo was following April, sliding food into bags. Gone were the days when he would just follow and carry food while she searched; he knew good places to look, and when to trust things he'd pick up.

Leo could feel some excitement building when they got to the place where that had become their normal note-leaving spot. It was Mikey's turn to reply, and Leo was eager to hear from his brother again.

When they got there, though, they didn't see anything. Leo felt his face fall, and at the same time, a worry grew in his chest. Mikey hadn't missed a note once.

"He might have had trouble getting away from the Foot," April said, seeing Leo's face. "His cover's a bit harder to keep up than yours."

"Yeah..." Leo muttered, and was about to walk off when he stepped on something. He bent down a picked up the piece of paper. It was a flyer, proclaiming that there was a mandatory rally in Times Square that Saturday. "Lord Shredder" was going to be launching "his greatest plan ever!" Leo snorted, causing April to turn around. He handed her they flyer, then noticed something on the back. He snatched the flyer back quickly, and turned it around.

"Hey! I was reading that!" April protested.

"I found Mikey's note!" Leo said, and April glanced back down at the flyer. "It was on the back of this," He explained, then read it aloud:

"'Leo, April, and Splinter-

I think you three should come to this. Even I'm not sure what's going on, the only people who do are Karai and Shredder himself, but apparently it's big and important. I know a way you guys could come watch without setting off security. Let me know, and I send a note back telling you how.

-Mikey'"

"Something so secret not even Mikey and the other's know?" April said, obviously shocked. "From what we know, Mikey and your brothers are rather high in the Foot Clan. For them not to know something is rather rare. This is huge."

"Do you think we should go?"

"We might have to. Shredder's planning something big, something that might really affect us. It'll be hard convincing Splinter, though."

"Well, we should begin to work on that soon, shouldn't we?"

They returned to the sewers, and explained everything to Splinter. They waited while he seemed to give it some thought.

"You both are right. This is defiantly worrying. But, I worry about the risk of going up there."

"_Sensei,_ Mikey's said that he can get all three of us up there without alerting anyone," Leo said. "This could be important. Mikey knows about our situation, and he knows the risks of not only having us come up there to watch, but that also come with him helping us. And he's in the Foot Clan. If he thinks this is something we need to get involved in, we have to."

Splinter took a deep breath, then sighed. "Fine. We will go up and see what is going on. We will need to prepare, though. And make sure Mikey is aware we will be armed."

_"Hai, Sensei_," Leo replied. He wrote the reply back to Mikey, before heading topside.

Mikey-

We'll be there. All three of us, though Splinter want's us armed. Send back instructions on how to get in ASAP.

-Leo

Not a full day had passed before Mikey had replied back when Leo went to check the spot the next morning.

Leo-

Good. I can't risk telling you everything here, in case someone else finds this. Just come here at 3 PM Saturday.

-Mikey


	11. Revelation

_Chapter 11! This is a big one! What is Shredder up to? You'll find out soon! You'd find out sooner if my rambling author's notes didn't get in your way. XD Enjoy!_

**If you sue me and cause me to miss band practice, you'll have two very angry band directors after you. And I will just sit back and laugh.**

* * *

"Weapons?"

"_Hai, Sensei_!"

"Smoke bombs?"

"_Hai, Sensei_!"

"Binoculars?"

"_Hai, Sensei!_"

Splinter seemed to pause for a moment then. Leo knew this was an important mission, even if it was just intelligence gathering. April was next to him, and she had uttered his responses to Splinter's questions with him.

"I believe we are ready. Remember to stay vigilant. If it seems like at any time we have been spotted, we are leaving immediately. Understand?"

And one more time, Leo and April gave a "_Hai, Sensei_!"

"Good. Let's go," Splinter said, and they were up and out of the lair, then quickly out of the sewers. As they surfaced, Leo spotted Mikey's letter. Next to it was a small, orange circle.

Leo, April, and Master Splinter –

I've left these orange markers to let you know how to safely get to the announcement. FOLLOW THEM! I've triple checked the path, and it's completely safe, as long as you follow it. Pick the markers up as you go to prevent anyone from following you.

Mikey

Leo picked up the marker, and noticed one on the fire escape above his head. "There's the next one," He said, and he leapt up for it, Splinter and April following him.

"April, stay behind me, and watch our back. Leo, you stay front and look for the markers. I will keep an eye out for any enemies," Splinter directed in a whisper, and then went off. Leo found another marker on the roof and saw one on its edge. As he got to the one on the edge, he saw another one on the edge of the roof on the other side of the alley. Leo backed up slightly, then leap to the other roof at a run, Splinter and April close behind.

Leo took note of Splinter's constantly darting eyes. As weird as it was, his _Sensei_ was nervous. Leo couldn't remember Splinter ever surfacing before, though he knew Splinter must have during the rebellions. Still, those were years ago, and he knew how well those had ended. And there was the fact he was in between himself and April. He wasn't as familiar with how things were topside, and was relying on April and especially Leo to keep him from getting lost.

A few rooftops later, Leo didn't see one of Mikey's markers on the next roof going straight. He stopped and began to look around. He spotted the next on the roof to the right, but that involved crossing a street.

"Shouldn't we just cross?" April asked, seeing where the marker was. Leo ignored her and walked over to the edge of the roof. Sure enough, there was a marker on the fire escape ledge.

"Mikey wants us to go this way," Leo said, indicating to the fire escape. Splinter and April just responded with curt nods, and followed Leo down and across the street, where another fire escape was marked.

This continued for an hour, as they leap across rooftops, darted across streets, and sneaked through alley ways. Soon, they were lead up the roof of an old apartment building in Manhattan. Once they got to the top, Leo's breath was caught in his throat.

Though he'd seen it plenty of times on TV, he'd never been to Times Square itself, due to the constant high amounts of people. Part of him was amazed at its size; wide sidewalks and crisscrossing streets. The crowds of people coming into the area were enormous; Leo didn't think he'd ever seen so many people at once before.

And yet, the Shredder's effects were evident. Where there should have been tourist shops, large department stores, and Broadway theaters, there were now Foot Clan buildings. The large, electronic billboards no longer reported news or advertised stores, but now were filled with Foot propaganda. Many had large pictures of the Shredder on them, giving a menacing look down on the crowd. And even the people were different; instead of being bustling New Yorkers or wide-eyed tourists, they were a somber crowd in dark clothes, their heads bent down and faces covered by hats or hoods.

Leo dared himself to look around, and he could see Foot Clan guards on the surrounding rooftops, but they were well hidden by some old columns. He looked straight ahead, and spotted a large, raised stage right in front of the building that Leo recognized as where the New Year's ball would drop, though the ball was missing, and a large banner with the Foot logo on it was draped behind the stage. Mikey had managed to get them a good spot.

They waited for a while, watching people continue to slowly file in like they were walking in a funeral procession. They all kept an eye out to make sure that they hadn't been spotted. Leo also kept an eye out for his brothers, but had no luck.

Suddenly, the sound of a microphone turning on snapped all three of their attention's back towards the stage. "Citizens of Lord Shredder," Karai's voice boomed around the square as she walked out on stage, and Leo felt his breath catch slightly. Despite everything that had happened before and after his coming to this time, things with Karai had always been...confusing.

"I'm going to give you a few reminders. Any and all disruptive behavior or any action against the rule of Lord Shredder will not be tolerated. As normal, you're being watch constantly by Foot Clan soldiers, both in and out of uniform. You are to stay and listen for the entire time. Breaking of these rules or any other established laws will result in severe punishment.

"And now, presenting your leader, Lord Shredder!" Karai said, and the crowd started cheering, probably because they'd be killed if they didn't.

She stepped aside as Shredder walked out with a guard. Leo felt himself gasp along with April and Splinter, as they saw Raph, Donnie, and Mikey were a part of the guard. They were off to the side, Mikey right at the stage's edge, then Donnie, then Raph towards the middle. Karai stepped back and stood next to Raph as Shredder stepped up to the microphone.

"My citizens, I welcome you here today," He started, and Leo felt his eyes drift towards where his brothers were standing. "These past few years have been prosperous for us. Our production levels are nearing the standers that the economy planners and I have set up. And we've almost completely eliminated any opposition to our glorious regime!"

As the crowd gave a cheer, Leo watched his brothers. Donnie and Raph seemed to be rapt with attention, along with the rest of the guard. Mikey was trying to follow in their lead, but Leo could tell, even from this distance, that Mikey was quickly growing bored. He could see Mikey trying to look over to where Leo was watching.

"Yes, our country is prosperous. We have almost spread out all over the globe!" Leo blinked in shock at that sentence, the cheering of the crowed almost completely drowned out. Leo figured Shredder had to have most of the United States under his control, but he didn't expect him to have most of the world.

"He's exaggerating some," April whispered, reading Leo's expressions. "Yes, he's got all of the former USA, and all of its old territories, and many old third world countries. But, many other stronger nations are still around, and they're not happy with him. But, there's a mutually assured destruction thing going on. If one side starts fighting, the other side will fight back, and everybody will end up dead."

"He's still in charge of a lot more than what I thought he was..." Leo muttered, before turning back towards the speech.

"However, there are still a few areas on this Earth that remain out of our reach. I assure you, my citizens, that we will one day come out victorious above those nations! And to achieve that goal, I am planning on spreading our glory beyond this planet."

Leo, April, and Splinter each exchanged confused looks with each other. Leo glanced out to the crowd, and saw that they were confused as well. Even the guard, minus Karai, didn't seem to know what was going on. He could see Raph give Mikey a confused look, followed by Mikey shrugging in return. Donnie had his head bent down slightly, and though Leo couldn't read his eyes, he knew that Donnie was trying to puzzle this out.

"Many of you might have heard of a race called the Kraang. Many of you have dismissed these claims as rumors. Well, I am telling you right now that they were true.

"There was once a race of aliens from another dimension who was attempting to take over our world. Ten years ago, we attempted to forge an alliance with them, but we soon realized that this would be impossible. So, we took them down, and destroyed the trans-dimensional portal they were using to travel between their home world and ours.

"Though they were tyrannical and evil creatures who were bent on destroying our world and humanity as we knew it, they were amazingly advanced technologically. We used some of their technology in our glorious rise to power!"

Leo watched as Donnie's head snapped up. Had he figured it out? Because Leo wasn't sure, but he didn't like where this was going.

"I have decided that their resources would be much use to us. So, along with my daughter Karai, I have put together a plan to fix the portal to the Kraang dimension and take them over to help us in our quest for both world and dimensional conquest!"

There was a loud gasp from the audience, almost immediately followed by cheering. Raph and Donnie seemed to be shocked at first, but soon were cheering along with the crowd. Only Leo, April, Splinter, and Mikey were stone silent. The implications and consequences of what Shredder was planning...

"We must go," Splinter said quietly, snapping Leo out of his shock. "The guards are distracted by his speech."

Leo nodded numbly. Before he walked off, he looked back to the stage. Mikey had started cheering to keep his cover up, but Leo could tell that the horror was dawning on him too.

The trip home seemed to go by quickly, as they retraced their steps almost perfectly. They returned to the layer, and that's when April lost it.

"That guy is the biggest! Idiot! Ever!" She yelled. "He's going to get us all killed by invading Dimension X! The only reason the even beat the Kraang the first time was because they only killed the ones who were here and prevented any more from coming over. Who knows how many are in their home dimension? Despite the crap he was spewing, this country is low on both money and resources. He's just signed the Earth's death warrant."

"April, you are right. This is disturbing indeed," Splinter said, walking forward. "I never expected Shredder to make a move like this. And though he is exaggerating the prosperity of the nation, he was right in that the few rebel factions left are fading fast. We can no longer wait for his popularity to waver and for the rebels to come back to power.

"We must start actively working to take down the Shredder for good."


	12. Old and New

_Chapter 12! First off, who else saw that season finale?! 'Cause, hot damn, that was AWESOME! :D I won't say anything more in case one of you all hasn't seen it yet, but I highly encourage you to! Anyway, I bet you're thinking that I'm going to give you guys a breather, huh? And you'd be wrong! *Cue evil laugh* I've got a few more surprises in store, one of which you'll see right now..._

**Blah, blah, blah, don't sue me, blah, blah, blah, insert witty comment.**

* * *

"Leonardo, do you remember what your mission is?"

"_Hai, Sensei_. Head topside, check some buildings where rebel groups usually frequent, and check for bug and/or wiretapping. If I find any, I remove it."

Leo turned away from Splinter to leave, when his voice called out again. "Do you have everything you need?" Leo sighed and turned back around.

"I've got my katanas and any tools I'd need to remove any bugs I find," Leo reassured his _Sensei_.

Leo knew that Splinter was nervous; this was Leo's first solo mission. About a week had passed since they learned of Shredder's plan to invade Dimension X. Since then, they'd been doing everything they could to get in the Foot Clan's way. Helping rebel groups, send in false tips to keep the groups from being discovered, removing hidden cameras and wiretaps, any small thing that would hinder the Foot's plans. They couldn't use more direct tactics as they lacked the manpower, but one day they'd have the power to face the Foot and Shredder head on.

For now, though, these smaller acts of rebellion would have to do. And Leo was perfectly fine with that. He was glad to finally be doing something, instead of just sitting around.

"Just, be careful, my son," Splinter said, and Leo felt his annoyance at Splinter's pestering soften. Leo _was_ heading up by himself, and they didn't have any way to communicate. The T-Phones were long obsolete, as Donnie hadn't around to update them. And even if they had working cell phones, they wouldn't use them for fear of them being tracked.

"I'll be fine, _Sensei_. I promise," Leo said, gave him a reassuring smile, then leap over the turnstiles and went up to the surface.

He leap over rooftops and started checking out buildings. He worked quietly, yet meticulously, sweeping over every room, checking every corner and crevice for hidden cameras. The first two buildings were clean.

The third one, however, was covered in them. Leo worked quickly to deactivate every camera, damaging it enough so it lost all of its data, but not so much that it would send a distress signal back to the Foot.

Leo was careful. He'd done this a few times before, but April had been with him to help him. But she was busy sending false leads and tips to the Foot, leaving Leo alone. He found himself wishing Donnie was with him; his technological expertise would be a huge help.

Leo finished cleaning out the building and headed up to the roof. He only had two more buildings to check, and he'd be done.

He started running across the roofs. _Half way there..._

"HALT!"

The voice caused Leo to stop short, then hide behind the remains of a knocked-over billboard. _That voice..._Leo peaked through a small opening in the ruble, and his fears were confirmed.

Karai stood there, flanked by a few other Foot Clan ninjas. Leo was able to get his first good look at her since coming to this time. She was a bit taller, and her hair was longer, pulled back in a bun, and was no longer dyed blonde in the back. Her armor was more regal looking, but the make up around her eyes was still there. Her amber eyes were just like Leo remembered them being, but a lot of their playfulness was lost. He got the sense that this Karai would be less likely to tease him and more likely to simply stab him.

Much to Leo's relief, his brothers didn't seem to be among the ninjas around Karai. He tried to find a way to leave without being spotted, but the ninjas were spreading out, and had now covered all of Leo's exits. It wouldn't be much longer now until he was spotted.

Leo watched as ninjas slowly walked around to where he was hiding. He slowly unsheathed his katanas, then swung out, knocking a few off their feet. He leapt over the ruble he'd been behind, and started taking down ninja after ninja as they swarmed him.

There was a part of Leo that really enjoyed this. He loved the fact that he was able to fight actual enemies. Though he knew the work he'd been doing was messing with the Foot Clan, actually fighting them felt like he was really doing something.

The other part of him was panicking. His cover was crumbling more and more the longer he stayed on this roof and kept fighting. He was about to lose his biggest asset; the fact the Shredder was unaware that Leo was alive and in this time.

As he swung his blades, they collided with another metal object. Leo looked up and met Karai's eyes. He watched her eyes slowly fill with shock, and he took the opportunity to strike. He lunged against his swords, sending her backwards, though she landed perfectly on her feet.

"Leonardo?" Karai said, and it was weird to see her in a state of shock.

"Karai. You've changed quite a bit since I've seen you last," Leo replied, then charged towards her. She snapped out of her shock enough to block his attack.

"You, however, haven't changed much since I last saw you," Karai replied, some of the old playfulness coming back into her voice.

They were soon locked in a duel, as the blades of their swords clanked against each other, blows being blocked. The other ninjas watch in curiosity, but neither of them paid the crowd any attention.

"You're supposed to be in Dimension X!" Karai yelled as Leo blocked yet another swing.

"Yeah, about that," Leo said. "You've got the wrong info."

Karai spun around him and attempted to hit his back. Leo just back flipped over her, landed, and attempted to land a blow. She turned around and blocked it by the skin of her teeth.

"So, what's the right info?"

"Like I'd tell you. You'd just turn around and tell the Shredder."

"I see ten years hasn't affected how much you trust me."

Leo swept his blades under her feet, which just caused Karai to leap up, and continued the exchange of blocking each other's swings.

After one of Leo's swings was blocked, Karai pushed off of it and landed farther away from him. She looked him over.

"Seriously, what happened to you? You still look fifteen. Even your _brothers_ have aged some. I should know; they've been working with us for a while now."

"Oh, I'm aware of that," Leo said, shaking off her attempt to unsettle him. "And you never really know how that Kraang tech's going to work."

"Oh, I see what you're getting at," Karai said, then attempted a swing at Leo's head. He ducked, then kicked her off her feet.

"Don't you see that you and the Shredder's mission is suicide?! You're just going to get yourselves killed, which will leave the world open to the Kraang's crazy take-over-Earth plot!"

Karai looked up at Leo and smirked. "I didn't realize you cared."

"It's not you or your father I'm concerned about! It's the planet, and all the innocent people you and your father's reckless actions are going to get killed!"

"I'd be a bit less concerned about others and more about you at the moment," Karai said, then swung.

Leo cried out and fell to the ground as Karai stood up, wiping the blood from her blade. The stinging pain was coming from his right leg. He glanced at it and saw a gash on the outer side of his lower leg, running perpendicular to his ankle, blood seeping out.

He looked up and saw Karai standing above him, ready to deliver the final blow. Leo grabbed his right katana and blindly swung up.

Karai's scream came suddenly, causing Leo to look up. She had fallen to her knees, clutching her left cheek. In shock, he sat up and looked at the katana in his hand, which had started to shake. A thin line of blood ran across the sharp end.

The other ninjas ran forward and began working on helping Karai up. Leo took the distraction to slip away, being careful on his injured leg. As he slipped down a fire escape, he could hear Karai yell out.

"Leonardo! The Shredder will know you're here, and he will take you down!"

With her curse still echoing in his ears, Leo slipped into the sewers. He untied the wrappings around his left ankle and made a tight, makeshift bandage around his injury. It wasn't much, but it would help stanch the bleeding.

The walk home was long, slow, and painful, and it gave Leo too much time to reflect over what had happened. He'd blown his cover of being dead, to _Karai_, and had gotten injured in the process. And to add insult to injury, he wasn't even able to finish his mission.

He continued to mentally beat himself up as he walked home, and he tried his hardest to ignore the throbbing in his leg. He was forced to stop twice: Once, because the pain was getting so extreme, and another to unwrap the cloth from his left hand to reinforce the bandage already on his leg.

By the time he was home, he was near collapse and fearing Splinter's reaction to hearing that his cover was blown.

Splinter and April were waiting for him on the couch as he walked in. Seeing Leo's state, they both ran over and helped him to the couch, laid him down, and propped up his leg.

"April, go boil some water, then grab the first aid kit. Make sure the needle and thread are in there," Splinter ordered, and April was out of the room quickly.

"_Sensei_," Leo began, but Splinter just shushed him.

"I know what happened," Splinter said softly as he rubbed Leo's head. "April heard some chatter that Karai and her team had gotten into a skirmish. The fact you're alive and here is spreading quickly through the Foot Clan."

"I'm sorry," Leo muttered, leaning his head back.

"It is okay, my son. We could never have imagined that we could keep you hidden forever, especially now that we are more actively fighting the Foot Clan. From what we heard, you put up a good fight."

"Yeah, it sounds like you gave Karai a run for her money," April said as she walked in with the hot water and the first aid kit. Splinter took out a roll of bandages, then slowly took Leo's makeshift ones off, and then began cleaning the wound. "She apparently didn't make through unscathed either."

"Yeah, I kinda hit her in the face with my sword..." Leo muttered. "I...I'm not used to drawing blood..."

"That is not a sign of weakness," Splinter said, as he worked on disinfecting the needle. "It is a sign of humanity, and not wanting to hurt other living things. Unfortunately, this will be something you will have to get used to, especially in the time we are living in. Just be sure to only do so when necessary."

Leo winced slightly as Splinter began stitching the wound shut, going slowly and purposely. "I know..." Leo muttered as Splinter finished, then bandaged the wound.

"You will just have to be more careful when you head topside," Splinter said as he and April helped Leo up off the couch. "For now, though, rest. You've had a long day."

Leo only nodded as they led him to his room. He allowed them to tuck him in and remove his mask, and Leo was asleep in minutes.

* * *

_This is a finale spoiler, but it's also the plot twist the entire fandom saw coming. XD Anywho, now that it's been confirmed that Karai is Miwa, I'm going to explain a little here. This story is only canon up to Karai's Vendetta, but Karai is still Miwa in this story. But, because the finale hasn't happened yet in this story, Splinter never learned this, and Shredder never told him. So, none of the heroes, nor Karai herself, know about that whole little conundrum. I figured I might get questions, so I decided to cover my bases. :) See ya next chapter! :D_


	13. Recovery

_Chapter 13! And nightmare scene, #2! Why do I always put nightmares in my breather chapters... Ah, well. Read on!_

**I would really appreciate not being sued.**

* * *

Leo found himself on a rooftop. At least, he thought he was on a rooftop. Everything was hazy.

He looked up and saw 16-year-old Karai, smiling at him. It was a playful smile, one that seemed to be hiding something. It was the same smile that had made him go weak in the knees, that turned his thoughts to mush, that made him love her. It also broke his heart, knowing what that smile could turn into.

At that thought, Karai suddenly grimaced at him, as though realizing who she was looking at. Before Leo's eyes, she aged, turning into the Karai he'd seen only a few days ago.

Leo fell to the ground with a cry as a pain traveled up his leg. He glanced down at the cut, only to look up and see a blade at his throat. Karai was it's wielder, and she gave him a dark glare.

He looked around wildly, trying to find help. And then he thought he spotted it.

His brothers, running towards him. "Guys! GUYS! HELP!" He yelled wildly, and he was mildly surprised that Karai didn't just silence him.

"Leo!" He heard Mikey call back. And soon, really soon, they were there. Mikey ran forward, trying to get to Leo.

Karai turned suddenly, smashing the butt of her sword into Mikey's abdomen. While breathless, Karai kicked him off the roof.

"MIKEY!" Leo cried. He then turned towards his other two brothers, and was about to call out to them. Then, he got a good look at them; their older forms, their black masks, their red eyes.

"No..." Leo whispered as he brothers just sent him bloodthirsty grins while Karai aimed her sword.

* * *

"NO!" Leo yelled as he awoke. As he sat in his bed, catching his breath, he could hear footsteps, then Splinter rushed into his room.

"Leonardo, what happened?" Splinter asked, looking at his son in fear.

"Nothing, _Sensei_..." Leo said, looking away. This wasn't the first nightmare, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. Not by a long shot.

Splinter walked over to Leo and began rubbing his back, much like he had done when Leo was younger. The effect was calming, and Leo allowed himself to smile lightly, before getting up.

"Leonardo," Splinter said.

"I'm fine, _Sensei_."

Leo had spent the last few days recovering, taking training a little easier, and resting often. He knew that taking things easy now would make things easier later, but he was still restless.

Mikey had left him a small card, and a fully cooked pizza, something that Leo had learned was a rarity now. He'd also left a somewhat less cheerful note, confirming their worst fears; the Shredder knew that Leo was here. Apparently, Shredder was going to hide this from the general public, but a lot of resources were being used to find Leo. He'd also been slapped with a warrant, due to the fact he'd injured Karai.

"I'm sorry," Leo muttered when they read the note the first time. He'd just made life even harder for his family.

"My son, it is fine. We have been able to avoid the Shredder for many years now, and I know we will continue to."

This didn't completely rid Leo of his guilt, though. And he was still frustrated at himself for getting injured. He thought he had done everything he needed to avoid detection. And he'd blown it completely.

After five days of recovery, Splinter allowed him to accompany April to get food. Despite his permission, Leo could tell that Splinter was nervous. And he had good reason to be. Leo's first solo mission had ended in complete disaster. Leo wouldn't trust himself going up alone.

Leo tired his hardest to keep pace with April, and he was mostly able to. But, his leg was still bandaged, and it hurt. Plus, they were tying their hardest to keep an eye out for Foot. They even spotted a few, and were able to hide. No doubt Shredder had increased security since Leo's discovery and Karai's injury.

At one point, the pain in Leo's leg caused him to stop short. "Do you need to rest for a bit?" April asked, and Leo nodded in response.

Leo carefully sat down, and April followed suit.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" April asked. Leo just nodded again, and April shot him a look.

"It's just... My first solo mission in this time was a disaster, I'm now one of the Shredder's top targets, and now I've caused an increase in security, which isn't helping anyone!" Leo felt his temper starting to flare. "I got hurt, my brothers are working for the enemy, I'm stuck in the wrong time, the world's in imminent danger... I just keep failing."

Leo put his hands on his head as he said this. It was true; he just kept _failing_. He somehow fell into that portal at TCRI, and his absence caused his brother's to join the Foot Clan. He hadn't seemed to do anything right since coming here. He hadn't even really made a major dent in Shredder's plans. In fact, he's only gotten madder and stronger.

"I just can't do anything right in this time!" He finally yelled, and tried his best not to cry.

"Leo, that's not true," April said, placing a hand on his back. "You came home. I haven't seen Master Splinter this happy in _ages_. He was elated to find you safe, and so was I. You brought hope back. And you keep doing that; you found Mikey. You've galvanized Splinter to start standing up to Shredder more. You've done so much more than you realize."

Leo just sighed. Though he'd heard her words, they still didn't mean much. April seemed to tell.

"Leo, you're going to fail. It's a part of life. But, you've got to move on from that. You can't allow yourself to be constantly dragged down whenever something goes wrong."

"I'm not even supposed to be here," Leo couldn't help but say. "It's true, and you know it. I'm ten years into the future, but I'm still fifteen. How can I not screw up? I'm in a time I shouldn't be in!"

April sighed. "Your situation is...weird. But, you've got to work with what you've got. I was in a similar situation a while ago. Do you realize how over my head I felt that day the Kraang first took me and my dad? There were weird aliens, and mutant turtles who were really nice, and my life was just never normal again. And yes, things were hard at times, but I learned to deal. I figured there was a reason I was involved with this, so I might as well continue to work with it. And I think there's a reason you're here. You've just got to find out what that is."

Leo sat there, absorbing April's words. Slowly, he nodded.

"Good," April said, smiling. "Things will get easier, I promise." She helped him up and they headed home. Leo still felt guilty about what had happened. But, he also felt a bit better. April was right; he had done some good here. And as they got home and enjoyed dinner, Leo couldn't help but wonder about why he was here. If April was right, he was here for a reason. And he was going to figure out what that was.


	14. Rooftops

_Chapter 14! Everybody ready for an interesting chapter? Interesting how, you may ask. Well, I know, but I want you to find out by reading. :)_

**I feel like you would have sued me by now if you were going to. Still, don't.**

* * *

"Leo. Leo, wake up."

Leo groggily opened his eyes, and began to look around. April stood above him, shaking him slightly. It took him a second to remember that he'd fallen asleep on the couch after training.

"Come on, Leo, get up. _Sensei_ has a mission for us."

"He does?" Leo muttered, sitting up and stretching. "And I'm allowed to participate?"

"Yep," April said. "It's been two weeks, and you got the stiches out three days ago. Splinter thinks you're okay to go up again."

"Fine by me. I've been getting a little bored," Leo admitted, grinning slightly as he stood up. He and April walked into the dojo, where Splinter was waiting.

"I have been talking to some rebel leaders, and they have admitted having trouble holding meetings due to the increase in security," Splinter said as they sat down. "So, they have asked to have guards to alert them if the Foot is coming, and, if needed, fight them off."

"And you're okay with me doing this, _Sensei_?" Leo asked.

"Yes, Leonardo. You are healed, and your skills are perfect for this. The Shredder knows you are here, so there is no need to hide you. He does not come out and fight unless it's a major battle, so you should not encounter anything you cannot handle on your own. Also, I can tell you are growing restless," Splinter said with a sly grin.

"When are we heading up?" April asked.

"Tonight, in an hour. April, you will head to the old fortune cookie factory five blocks from here. Leonardo, you will go to the old warehouse on 42nd street." Both of them nodded in confirmation.

An hour later, they left the sewers and headed up to the surface. Both of their assignments were on the opposite sides of the city, so April and Leo said their goodbye's and headed off.

Leo leaped across rooftops, his katanas out, his eyes scanning for enemies. He knew that he was high on Shredder's list of criminals at the moment, and he could tell that every Foot Clan solider was hoping for the glory of capturing him. Leo figured that if he were taken, he'd either be killed, tortured for information, or end up like his brothers-forcibly in the Foot Clan. Leo would rather none of these happen.

He got to the building, where a woman in dark clothes and a hat was waiting on the ground. When she saw him, she waved at him.

"I take it you're the leader?" Leo asked as he approached her. She nodded, and pulled out a card, which had a broken arrow on it

"This is a symbol carried by many people in rebel groups. It lets us know who we can trust," She clarified, noticing Leo's look. "Forgive me if I don't say my name. One can never be too careful."

"It's fine. What do you need me to do?" Leo asked, and found it mildly weird to be talking to a human that wasn't an enemy or April, and not have them freaking out.

"Just stand on the roof and keep watch. We'll be meeting on the second story. If you spot anyone, stomp on the roof twice, then get the hell out of here. We'll be fine; we've got a fire escape ladder from one of the back windows to leave quickly."

"Got it."

"And... thank you for doing this," She said, gave Leo a small nod, then walked inside. Leo made his way up to the roof and watched as people, all dressed similarly to the leader, walk inside the building. A few gave small waves to Leo when they saw him, but most kept their heads down as they entered, drawing the collars of their coats around their faces.

He quickly made note of the ladder coming out from one of the back windows, already out and ready to use. Leo kept a vigilant watch, constantly changing angles, yet keeping his footsteps silent to not disturb the meeting below.

How he wished he could attend! He wanted to know so badly what they were talking about. But, he knew that whatever they were saying and planning would all be for naught if they were caught and arrested, so Leo kept his watch.

A few hours passed. Leo kept watching.

Suddenly, Leo saw a shadow move in the corner of his eye. He turned toward it, and recognized a lone Foot scout heading back towards the Foot HQ on a neighboring roof. One quick and well-aimed ninja star later, and he fell. Leo, however, hadn't used a fatal hit on purpose, and he knew that the ninja would be up soon.

He stomped on the roof twice quickly, and immediately heard the sounds of people scurrying below him. He waited until he saw people heading down the ladder, then he soared across rooftops, heading for home.

He was close when he tripped suddenly. As he looked up, he found a very familiar pair of sais in his face.

"Raph?!" Leo gasped, and looked up at his brother's face. He felt himself shrink back from Raph's scowl.

Leo jumped up and found himself face-to-face with Donnie, who was shooting him a look Leo had never seen on the quiet geniuses' face. His staff was out, and Leo quickly realized that's what he tripped over.

He looked to his right, and saw Mikey. Unlike the others, his threatening look wasn't threatening. In fact, Mikey was trying, and failing, to hide his panic.

"So, the long-lost brother returns at last," Donnie says, the blade in his staff pointed at Leo. "Can't say I missed you much."

Leo couldn't help but wince at the tone of Donnie's voice. Gone is the bright, slightly nasally tone Leo was familiar with. He'd heard Donnie serious before, but this was a completely different sound entirely.

"Donnie, come on. Snap out of it. It's me, Leo!"

"We know that, dumbass," Raph snapped, and Leo winced at the cuss word. Splinter had always been strict on them using curses, and it was one of the few rules that Raph actually followed regularly. Hearing Raph not only use one, but use it against Leo, hurt.

Both Raph and Donnie charged at the same time. Leo ducked out of the way, and began blocking move after move. Every time he tried to find a chance to gain the upper hand, they'd strike again.

And then he found one.

Raph stabbed upward while Donnie swept his staff at Leo's feet. Leo jumped and ducked, then kicked them both in the knees. All three fell backwards, but Leo was able to regain his footing quickly.

As he walked over to Raph and Donnie, it occurred to him that he just struck out against his brothers. His own brothers... He needed to. They weren't thinking straight, and they might actually hurt him.

He looked down at them. "Listen to me, you two! Shredder's been messing with your mind! Don't you remember Master Splinter? The whole reason you went along with this crazy Foot Clan thing in the first place?" Leo turned to Donnie. "And what about April?"

A light success; Donnie winced slightly, and the old Donnie appeared for a split second. But, it was gone as Donnie stood up and swung at Leo, who dodged.

"They don't matter," Donnie spat. "They were all wrong."

"Do you realize how stupid you sound? You, the genius of the family, sounding stupid!"

A yell of anger came from Leo's left, and he dodged Raph's sai swings. He locked his swords in between the prongs of Raph's sais, then tried to push them down. Raph, however, kept them locked firmly in place.

"Don't you _dare_ insult him like that, Fearless! You're the only stupid one around here!" Raph yelled, and, though weird, his standing up for Donnie was a bit of the old Raph shining through, protecting his brother.

"You always tore us down! Always acted like you were better than everyone else," Raph said as he kept striking and Leo kept dodging. "Just because you were the leader! Well, you were a shit leader! I don't treat them like dirt just because I'm leader! We've done things we could have never done with me as leader!"

"You don't understand!" Leo yelled back. "Your memories are being repressed! All you know is the Foot!"

"It's better that way," Donnie said as he joined in the striking match. Leo found himself dodging their moves. As much as he hated to admit it, the Foot had been training them well. He couldn't help but be impressed at the progress they had made. However, he was barely able to defend himself right now, and at this rate, they'd land a blow on him soon.

Leo's eyes cut to Mikey, who was watching them spar, completely frozen. "Mikey! Help me!" Leo cried out to him.

"Dumbass," Raph spat at him again as he swung, and Leo ducked, only to hit Donnie's bo. "He's with us too."

Donnie gave Leo a sharp kick to the back in Mikey's direction, and Leo summersaulted into Mikey's legs. Mikey glanced down at him, and despite the red mesh over his eyes, Leo could tell that Mikey's eyes were wide.

"Come on, Mikey," Raph said, his voice softening a centimeter. "Finish him!" And the harshness was back.

"Think of how Master Shredder will praise you we he hears that you helped bring him down," Donnie said.

"Come on, Mikey," Leo said, looking up at him. "I know you've left the Foot."

"Lies!" Raph spat.

"You've done great undercover work. But, it's time for you to come home."

"But, them," Mikey whispered, looking at where Raph and Donnie stood. Leo felt a pang seeing the hurt and sadness on Mikey's face.

"We'll work on them," Leo whispered back. "I know it hurts, but we're not going to be able to do anything about it right now."

Mikey looked at Leo, then Raph, then Donnie, and then took a deep breath. He converted his nunchucks to his kusarigama. Raph and Donnie gave him approving looks.

Their looks were gone as soon as Mikey had them both wrapped up in the chain. Before they could react further, Mikey swung them into a nearby billboard and let them fall to the ground. Using his free hand, he helped Leo up.

"You okay, Leo?"

"Yeah, I've been through worse."

They walked over to where Raph and Donnie laid. Donnie had a look of shock, and Raph was shooting daggers at Mikey.

With a sharp, fluid motion, Mikey tore his black bandana off, then his Foot clan elbow and knee pads, then the nunchucks emblazed with the logo. He threw everything in a pile in front of his shocked brother's faces.

Mikey's tone was harsh. "Tell Shredder that I'm done following his orders. That I'm tired of working for a sociopath that ruined my actual master's life. Or did you forget that to?"

Then, he knelt down closer to Donnie and Raph's faces, and his tone softened. "And tell him I'll be back for you two. That I know that the real Raph and Donnie are in there somewhere, and I intended to find them and bring them home."

Mikey quickly stood and released them from the chain, then he and Leo ran off the roof before Raph and Donnie could even react.


	15. Home

_Chapter 15! Hooray, we've really got Mikey back now! :D So, how will Splinter and April react to seeing him for the first time in over ten years? And does he have any info about the Foot? How 'bout I stop talking, and you start reading! :D_

**Like you would really sue me.**

* * *

Leo and Mikey ran into the nearest sewer manhole, closed the lid tight, continued to run, and didn't stop until they were a good distance away. They leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Leo looked at his brother, grinned, then hugged him.

"Woah, Leo!" Mikey called out in shock.

"It's just good to fully have you back," Leo said. "Come on, let's go home. I know two others who will be excited to see you."

Leo looked around the sewer tunnel they were in, then groaned. "We ran in the complete opposite direction!" He yelled in frustration, while Mikey laughed. Leo responded by smacking Mikey upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You laughing, and cause I kinda missed doing it," Leo smirked. Mikey just rolled his eyes as they started walking towards the lair.

"So," Leo said after a few minutes of walking. "I get why you took the mask off, but why take the pads off too?"

"They have tracking devices in them," Mikey said, his face hardening.

"All of it?"

Mikey nodded. "Shredder loves knowing where his little minions are at all times. Anything that a Foot Clan ninja is wearing that has the logo on it has a tracking device in it. I didn't want him finding the lair."

"Smart move... You realize that the Shredder's gonna come after you now, right?"

To Leo's surprise, Mikey laughed. "Well, duh, Captain Obvious! I'm surprised I lasted that long as a double agent without Shredder realizing it. And, really, it's back to how it was before I joined. He was coming after us before then, and he's still going to come after us. Just like old times."

"Yes, except that ten years have passed, and he's now the leader of much of the world instead of the head of some small terrorist organization."

"Okay, so not _exactly_ like old times. But, he's gonna regret teaching me all those moves."

Leo couldn't help but laugh. "True. Raph and Donnie were really strong," Leo felt his face fall as he said that.

Leo felt Mikey's hand on his shoulder. "Like I said, we'll get them back. If I can break, so can they."

Leo smiled slightly and nodded.

Mikey began running ahead. "Come on, bro! We're almost home!" He stopped short after saying this, then broke out into a big grin. "I remember how to get home again!"

Leo chuckled as he caught up. "Wait up! I've got an idea."

* * *

They silently approached the entrance to the lair, and Leo peaked in.

"Coast is clear," He whispered to Mikey, who snuck in and silently ran over to where their rooms were. Leo casually walked into the living room.

"Leonardo?" Splinter's voice called out from the dojo.

"In here, _Sensei_."

Splinter walked in, smiling. "Welcome home."

"Where's April?"

"Still out. In fact, you are home a bit earlier than I expected," Splinter paused, then a dark look passed over his face. "Did something happen?"

"Well, yes," Leo admitted. "But, it turned out to be something good."

Splinter raised an eyebrow, then they heard footsteps. Leo smiled as Splinter looked over in the direction of the footsteps.

Mikey emerged from his room, adjusting the strap of one of his old elbow pads. His blue eyes shone from behind the familiar orange mask. He looked up, and grinned at Splinter.

"Michelangelo?" Splinter asked, his voice breathless.

Leo stepped back as Mikey ran forward and tackled Splinter in a hug, which Splinter quickly returned. Both of them had tears slowly falling down their faces.

"It is so good to have you home again," Splinter said.

"It's good to be home, _Sensei_."

They broke apart, and Splinter's eyes darted to Mikey's empty nunchuck holsters. "What happened to your weapons?"

Mikey's eyes darted down. "Shredder probably destroyed them a long time ago. We all were given new ones. I had to leave them behind, because all of the Foot Clan gear has tracking devices on them. That's why I was never able to come down here before."

"I will work on replacing them soon. So, what exactly happened tonight?"

Leo was about to answer when another voice echoed across the lair. "Mikey?!"

They turned, then saw a grey-red blur tackle Mikey to the ground. Leo and Splinter looked down in alarm, only to see April squeezing Mikey.

"I'm so happy to see you again!" She squealed.

"Me too...April...You've gotten...really strong," Mikey gasped out, and April relaxed slightly.

"Thanks. Ten years with only _Sensei_ for company will do that to you."

"Try fifteen," Leo and Mikey said together, and everyone broke out into laughter. April and Mikey got up.

"So, why are you coming home now? What happened?" April said, then turned to Leo. "Did something happen? Our meeting ended early because we got word that another meeting was broken up due to the Foot. Was that you?"

Leo nodded. "I spotted a scout, took him down, then alerted those in the meeting. As far as I know, everyone made it out okay."

"I was out patrolling with Donnie and Raph," Mikey broke in. "That scout sent out a message saying he'd spotted you. From what I could tell, he didn't seem to realize that there was a resistance meeting in that building, but the Foot are probably crawling in it as we speak. The three of us went out to intercept you."

"And intercept me you did," Leo said.

"You fought Raphael and Donatello?" Splinter asked, looking at Leo in shock. Leo nodded.

"I was able to hold them off, but only Mikey's intervention allowed me to escape."

"I'm not really a double agent anymore," Mikey said.

"So, the Shredder knows that you are on our side now?" Splinter asked, and Mikey nodded.

"That is both to our advantage, and disadvantage. He has lost one of his most powerful ninjas," Mikey looked rather proud at this. "And he knows we are working towards getting Raph and Donnie back over. You also know many things he does not want falling into our hands.

"Of course, this also means that he will try even harder to find us. That promise he made all those years ago to win you three over may no longer stand," Splinter finishes.

"Would he risk breaking that promise?" Leo asks. "I mean if the promise to leave _Sensei_ alone was the major reason they joined the Foot, wouldn't breaking that cause some of the brainwashing or whatever to wear off. Obviously, we know that with enough force and reminders of what they're doing can break them off. Wouldn't breaking the promise that got them in the Foot in the first place do some damage to whatever Shredder used to repress their memories?"

"Yeah, and Shredder's been using less of it, if at all," Mikey says suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked.

"Well, I broke free of Shredder two years ago, and I've, technically, been in the Foot Clan that whole time. Whatever Shredder used to repress our memories, he's stopped using on us, or I would have slipped back a while ago."

"Or you've developed an immunity to it?" April suggests.

"I never thought of that," Mikey admits. "But, Raph and Donnie have shown signs of breaking too, though much smaller. Leo, you saw it tonight."

"I did," Leo admits. "There were small moments when it seemed like the 'old' Raph or Donnie would come through."

"Time could also be a factor," Splinter suggests. "Michelangelo, do you know exactly what is causing the memory repression?"

"No. I've tried, but it was kinda hard to do without alerting anyone," Everyone was silent for a moment, then Mikey seemed to perk up.

"Speaking of stuff that happened a long time ago, Leo, remember when I was telling you about everything that's happened since you fell into the portal, and I told you about how we all destroyed the portal, and you wondered how it still seemed to work, considering you came here through it?" Leo nodded.

"Well, I figured that out!"

"How?"

"Well, we've been going back to TCRI to get ready for this stupid 'Let's invade Dimension X! I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong!' plan of Shredders. Well, we were inspecting the cannons of the portal, and we discovered that one of the three cannons wasn't actually destroyed fully, and still works. In fact, it was the one I was told to destroy," Mikey admitted somewhat sheepishly.

"So, there _was _a failsafe!" Leo said.

"Yep. Well, sorta. Donnie confirmed it. Apparently, as long as one of the cannons is working, it can receive anything from another portal. But, it can't send anything or anyone unless all three are working."

"So we have some time before the invasion?" Splinter asked.

"Some," Mikey said. "There's a lot of other stuff they have to do first, and the other two cannons still need a lot of work," He paused. "I'm honestly not sure when the invasion actually is."

"We just have to hope it isn't soon, and try to prevent this from happening," Splinter said.

"And the rebel's numbers are growing," April said. "I talked to the leader of the meeting I guarded. Their numbers have been steadily rising since Shredder's announcement. Many people think this idea is stupid too, and are ready to put a stop to it."

"For now, though, let's put all this behind," Splinter said, smiling warmly. "Michelangelo is home."

"Alright! Do you guys have any pizza? I'm starving!" Mikey said, walking back towards the kitchen.

Leo could help but chuckle as he rolled his eyes. _Sensei_ was right; Mikey _is_ home.


	16. Days and Nights

_Chapter 16! So, so sorry about the lack of updates! XD I've just started school, so my free time is really minimal right now. Anyway, Mikey's home! What's gonna happen next?_

**I'm not the top of the class or super smart, but I've got a pretty good future ahead of me. Do you really want to ruin that by suing me?**

* * *

Having Mikey back home was like the sun shining in the lair. In the short time Leo had been the only turtle in the house, he'd forgotten the sheer presence Mikey makes. It was still weird to wake up and see him again, and to have him at training sessions.

While Mikey had made a lot of progress in the past ten years, he was still as unfocused as ever during training. "Dude, I'm technically the youngest now, and I _still_ kick your but at training," Leo said after he had, for the tenth time that training session, won.

"Yeah, but I'm still older than you now!" Mikey shot back as he stood up. Leo just rolled his eyes. He wouldn't admit it, but he missed Mikey's lame comebacks and dumb jokes. He missed his weird tastes in food and his tendency to take up half the couch. It was good to have his goofy brother back.

Yet, Mikey's return had made his missing Raph and Donnie even worse. There was no Raph to smack Mikey around when he acted especially stupid. There was no Donnie to say, for the fifth time, not to touch something he was working on. There were still two holes in the lair, and both Leo and Mikey were determined to fill them.

Splinter had forced them both to stay underground for a week to avoid the boost in security Mikey's defection would certainly cause. Only April went up once to get food.

"So, Mikey, I take it you've lost the place where you found all of that nice food, huh?" She said after she'd gone up.

"Not really. I actually got most of it from the Foot Clan warehouses, which aren't that well-guarded. I should probably avoid them for the time being, but I could tell you where it is and how to get in."

April and Mikey spent the rest of the day going over situations so April could get food, plus worked out that it was probably safe for Leo to go help on occasion, but that Mikey should stay away. It was moments like these that reminded Leo that these ten years he'd missed had changed Mikey too. He had more serious moments, and there were times he'd use a Foot technique in training, then stop and apologize profusely.

"I don't mind," Leo said after it had happened during a sparring session. "It gives me a chance to practice against what they might throw at me. Plus, it would be good to use those in a fight; they might not expect you to keep using their style."

"You sure?"

"Of course."

The night of that incident, which was a week and three days after Mikey returned home, Splinter allowed them to go to the surface and stand guard at a resistance meeting. After what happened with Leo, he wanted them to stay in a group.

They headed up and met with the resistance leader.

"So, it's true," He said, looking at Mikey. "You really did go back to the right side."

"Yep," Mikey replied cheekily. The man just gave him a weird look, then chuckled and went back inside.

Mikey watched him go inside. "They're all so used to me being this stoic, hard, mean Foot Clan ninja. I probably seemed so weird to him."

"Mikey, you're always weird," April said. "And that's why I missed you."

Mikey grinned as they made their way onto the roof. They all kept watch in silence, and again Leo saw the effect the Foot had on Mikey. Normally, he'd start talking, or wandering around, or try to find something else to do. But, he stayed in his spot and kept watch. Before all of this, Leo would have given anything to have Mikey act like this during missions. Now, he wished he'd goof off some.

The meeting went on without any interruption or problems, so they headed home when it was finished. They told Splinter the good news, and they headed up to bed.

* * *

Leo found himself in the midst of a fight. How he got here and what sparked it was completely unknown to him, but he found himself sparring with someone just to stay alive. He looked around, trying to find a way out of this fight he wasn't even a part of, but all he saw was fighting and violence and bloodshed. It seemed like random people against these shadowed figures, and the shadows didn't seem to have any morals holding them back.

Leo blocked another attack and, just his luck, he was fighting one of these shadow things. They didn't even seem human; they were just giant, humanoid shadows that had _giant blades attached to their arms!_ Leo turned and ran, jumping over carnage and dodging giant blade swings.

And then, suddenly, a light in the distance. Leo, hope rising, ran towards it. As he grew closer, he spotted Mikey.

"Mikey!" Leo called out, and then, much to his shock, he spotted Donnie and Raph standing there. Neither of them where in Foot gear, Donnie was waving at him, and Raph even had an arm around Mikey.

"Leo!" Mikey called back, looking both hopeful and worried at the same time. Leo had a big grin on his face.

And then it disappeared as a large shadow appeared behind his brothers. "GUYS! BEHIND YOU!" Leo screamed as he brothers turned. And then the shadow had a shape: The Shredder.

Before anyone could even react, Shredder picked up Donnie and Raph. Leo stopped short and he and Mikey watched in horror as Raph and Donnie turned into the shadow creatures. Mikey ended up having more sense than Leo, as he turned to run. But Shredder just dropped what was Donnie and picked up Mikey. Leo couldn't do anything but watch.

Leo turned and ran, a weird sound echoing around him. He could tell, without even looking behind him, that the things that were once his brothers were chasing him.

The, a random shadow gabbed him, holding on of its knife-arms at his throat. The three shadows that were Mikey, Raph, and Donnie came at him. As they approached, Leo realized the weird sound was his own screams.

* * *

"Leo! Leo!" Someone was shaking him...

"Leonardo!" Leo's eyes snapped open and he heard his own screams die down. He looked around wildly, and his eyes rested on Splinter, then Mikey.

"Leo, are you okay?" Mikey said, sitting next to him. Leo felt himself shake his head no. "Bad dream?" Mikey asked, and Leo felt himself nod. "Do you want to talk about it?" Leo, again, shook his head no.

The silence hung there for a few minutes. Then, Mikey reached over and pushed his fingers near Leo's mouth and attempted to push them up into a smile. Leo pushed Mikey's hands away, but couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well then," Mikey pouted, but Leo could tell he was being sarcastic, especially the small grin Mikey sent him as he left Leo's room.

"Leonardo, what happened?" Splinter approached this time.

"Just-Just a nightmare," Leo muttered.

"This is not your first since coming to this time, and you were never prone to nightmares, even as a small child."

"Everything's fine, really," Leo said, trying to get out of bed, but Splinter's stare kept him rooted in place.

"Leonardo, you were screaming."

Leo blinked, then sighed. "Remember when I had been here a month, when I told you that I felt like I'd adjusted too well. Well, I really haven't," Leo slipped his head into his hands.

Splinter placed a hand on Leo's head. "This time keeps brining its challenges, and you have had a lot to adjust to in a very short period of time. I had much more time then you had, and I had trouble. Leonardo, you can talk to me, or April, or even Mikey, if you need to."

"Even Mikey?"

Splinter chuckled. "Yes, even him. He might even be able to help in ways you'd never imagine with his experience," Splinter paused for a moment. "Even after last night, I have kept you two cooped up too long. Tonight, you, Mikey, and April may head to the surface to get food and stretch your legs."

Leo felt himself grin. Fresh air would certainly help him. "Thanks, _Sensei_!"

That night, the three of them headed up, giving Splinter one last wave. April and Leo caught Mikey up on their normal food gathering routine.

"Maybe next time, we'll try that Foot warehouse you mentioned, Mikey, but for now we'll keep to our normal routine."

They surfaced and began going around, finding food. At one moment, they found a homeless man searching through a trashcan they usually avoided, his back to them.

"Just keep walking, quietly," April whispered. "We should be able to pass by without alerting him."

Leo and Mikey nodded. The three edged near the other side of the alley and walked. As they passed, the man stopped searching, looked up in front of him, then resumed digging. They got passed without him even seeing them. They walked on, relieved.

Then, it seemed like large, dark forms began dropping down from the roofs. Leo wildly looked around as the Foot Clan surrounded them. Everyone pulled out their weapons and took fighting stances. Leo looked and watched the vagabond from the trash can join the Foot, pulling a hood over his head.

"Guys, this was a trap!" Leo called out as they ninjas began attacking. More seemed to come from nowhere, and they were quickly overwhelmed.

"Fall back!" April called out, standing on the ladder of a fire escape. Leo found her, nodded, then began to make his way over to where she seemed to be running.

Then something hard smacked him on the back of the head. Leo tumbled down into a sea of grey asphalt and black feet. Another smack on the head, and it turned into nothing but black.


	17. Captive Days

_Chapter 17! Another long one guys! Twists and turns are part of my master plan... Let's see what I've got in store for you guys today..._

**I'm too tired to think of a good disclaimer after writing this...**

* * *

Grey. That's all Leo saw as his eyes slowly opened. Nothing but speckled grey, and it was moving. He watched the grey move backwards as he seemed to go forward.

His sense of touch started to work again. His toes where dragging against the grey tile, a never-ending smoothness. Two hands had his arms by the elbow, one person on each side. A dull pain settled on the back of his head. The holsters on his back were lighter than normal, alerting him that his katanas where missing.

Leo move his head up slightly, and he saw a hallway painted in dull neutrals, dark wood doors breaking the pattern every once in a while. He got the sense that he was high up off the ground, though inside.

He moved his eyes to the people on either side of them. A chill went down his spine as he saw they were Foot Clan. Eyes wide, Leo moved his head and vision straight ahead.

_What happened?_ But, it came to Leo quickly: The ambush, the overwhelming numbers of Foot, the black...

He had been captured. Shredder had him right where he wanted him. A mix of anger and dread filled Leo. How could he have been captured? What was going to happen to him? How could he have been so stupid? Did April and Mikey make it out safely? If they were here too, Leo would never forgive himself. Did Splinter know what was going on?

The two Foot stopped suddenly, beside a door. This one wasn't like the dark wood Leo had seen, but was dark grey steel, and there were two more Foot ninja's next to the door. One of the new ninjas unlocked the door, and the two holding Leo unceremoniously threw him inside the room. Leo didn't even get the chance to stand up before the door was shut and locked.

The room was small, holding only bare necessities. It only had two light sources; a small light bulb hanging from the ceiling, and the small, barred window on the door. No windows, no natural light, no way for Leo to figure out what time of day it was. He'd gone up to the surface at night, so the best bet is that it was early morning of the next day. It would help explain why Leo felt so tired, beyond the fact he'd just been captured by enemy forces.

He sat down on the small cot in the back right corner of the room. As he sat on it, the bed springs creaked and groaned. He laid down, and the noises continued. There was no way to position himself on the bed without it making a lot of racket. Leo sighed, tried his best to make himself comfortable on the lumpy mattress, and began to sleep. He knew he'd need his strength to get through what was coming up next.

When he woke up, it took his mind taking a few seconds to remember where he was. He stood up and began to orient himself with his prison. Hitting the walls reveled to him that they were made out of concrete blocks, and the door was solid metal. Busting his way out was no option. He was weaponless; not only where his katanas gone, but so where the smaller weapons he kept on him, such as his throwing stars and smoke bombs. He was stuck.

* * *

Day two, and Leo found himself growing restless, and worried. Shredder hadn't come to see him and interrogate him about Splinter's whereabouts, or get revenge for him wounding Karai or getting Mikey off his side. The only people he'd seen where the Foot standing guard outside his room. Leo figured they must work on shifts, but considering everyone's identical dress here, it was hard to tell when they changed out.

He figured Shredder was trying to psych him out, try to lure him into a sense of complacency before the "questioning" began. Well, it was having the opposite effect; Leo found himself getting nervous, which was just as bad as growing complacent. He had to remain focused if he was going to survive.

Speaking of survive, he was getting hungry. If they wanted answers out of him, they'd have to feed him. Was this another tactic; starving him out?

Suddenly, the door opened a sliver, nothing that Leo couldn't escape out of. As though they had read his mind, a tray with a small glass and a bowl was sent through the crack before the door shut and was locked.

Leo tentatively approached the tray, and took in its contents: A glass of water, a small piece of bread, and a bowl of soup. He recoiled slightly at the soup, remembering April's story about Karai and the _suppon nabe_. Screw hunger, he was _not_ going to cannibalize. But, the soup looked like miso, which Leo _loved_.

His hunger got the better of him, and he tasted it. Much to his relief, it was miso, though not as good as Splinters. He ate the meal quickly, and then was unsure of what to do with the tray. He looked up and caught the eye of one of his guards through the window. The guard looked at the tray, then indicated to the door. Leo, understanding the guard's silent cues, put the tray by the door. The guard then looked at Leo, and moved his head backwards. Leo slowly backed away from the door.

The door opened suddenly and quickly, and by the time Leo could blink, the tray was gone and the door was shut tight once again.

* * *

Everything was fuzzy. Leo rubbed his head again as he tried to make sense of his thoughts. Where was he? Somewhere with the Foot...Right? How'd he get here?

Leo couldn't think straight. April and Mikey...April and Mikey... Where they here? Did it matter that they were here? Should they be here? A part of Leo felt like they shouldn't be here, that April and Mikey needed to be somewhere else. Where else? Home... They should be at home... Where was home?

This question sent a jolt through Leo. Why couldn't he remember where home was? What was going on?

Donnie and Raph weren't home; they were here. That Leo knew for a fact. They belonged here... No. No, that was wrong. Donnie and Raph didn't belong here, yet they were here.

Did Leo belong here? He had no idea what to think. His brain felt like mush.

_Maybe some sleep will help..._

* * *

Leo felt a lot better the next day. Well, despite the fact he could barely remember what happened the day before. When he tried to think about it, he just got a sense of confusion.

Was his food poisoned? But, why would they poison his food? To get him into a state where he would answer questions with more complacency?

Leo jolted up at that thought. Had Shredder questioned him yesterday when he wasn't feeling good? Had that been their plan all along? Did he let something slip?!

He focused, hard, on yesterday. He couldn't get anything. Then he began to meditate on it. Breathing in and out, focusing on the messy haze that was yesterday...

No, Shredder hadn't come at all yesterday. His door hadn't opened at all; he wasn't even fed. So far, secrets had remained that way. He felt relieved. Maybe it wasn't the food, maybe he'd just caught something being cooped up like this. Some weird 24 hour bug.

Someone was at the door. Leo snapped up from his meditation and saw someone looking through the window. He got up and approached the door.

It was Donnie, staring in at him, his expression emotionless. Leo walked closer, trying to see Donnie's brown eyes behind the red, trying to see if his brother was still there. But, he couldn't.

Donnie's expression seemed to soften the longer he looked. Leo took advantage of it. "Donnie, help."

Donnie stiffened, his expression went back to stoic, and he walked away, leaving Leo alone again.

* * *

Another day. Leo believed that it was his fifth since he'd been captured. He meditated constantly, trying to think of a way out of wherever he was. It was proving to be problematic, though, due to the fact Leo had no idea where he was. He suspected the Rockefeller Center, but he wasn't certain.

His meditation was broken by the sound of his door opening. Another tray was there when he opened his eyes. He approached it, and saw it was the exact same contents as the first tray from a few days ago; water, bread, miso soup.

Leo began to eat, this time taking more time to enjoy the food. What had happened the a couple days ago crossed his mind as he ate, but he ignored it, mostly out of hunger. He did the same thing with the tray as he had done before, and it was gone ask quickly as it had come.

* * *

Leo was so unsure. Everything was so uncertain, and when he tried to think, it felt like his thoughts where traveling molasses.

He was supposed to be here...No, he wasn't... Yes, he was. Where was Shredder? Wouldn't he want to talk to Leo about...something? Leo was hoping Shredder wouldn't show up; he didn't think he could tell him anything in this state. He didn't want to look foolish to him.

Why did Shredder matter? A part of him was screaming at him to remember Splinter and April and Mikey, that they mattered...Why? He knew Mikey, but hadn't he made a mistake? Didn't he need Mikey here, with him and Raph and Donnie? But, he thought that Raph and Donnie shouldn't be here. But, they were here. They'd been here for a while now...

Nothing made sense! His mind was both racing and was barely moving. Where did he belong? He had a clan, right... He was at a Foot Clan building... But, wasn't he enemies with the Foot? Why was he here if he didn't like them?

But, wasn't he in the Foot Clan... No, no he wasn't. Not yet. Did he? One part of him told him "No!" and the other said "Yes!"

Why couldn't everything make sense again?

* * *

Okay, that was it. Leo was _not_ eating the food here anymore. His mind was still a bit fuzzy, but he could tell that yesterday's events were caused by him eating the foot they gave him.

So, the food was certainly poisoned. But, what was the point of poisoning his food? Shredder still hadn't come and "talked" to him. No one had even said a word to him since he'd been captured. Why weren't they trying to get information out of him?

The fact that Shredder seemed to be postponing his interrogation of Leo was putting him on-edge, which was probably Shredder's plan. Leo couldn't help it, though; he could see them yanking him out to see Shredder while he was sleeping or something.

Leo was prepared to face a lot in Shredder's quest to get Splinter's location out of him, and he was prepared to say nothing. It was a tough fate to set himself up for, considering it would probably cost him his life, but it was better than Shredder finding their home. If Shredder was able to find their home, he might as well as sign his family's death warrants, and severely weaken, if not kill, any chance of Shredder's regime being toppled.

Leo could tell it was nearing a week since he'd been taken, and he was tired, weak, and still a bit confused. But, he was ready for whatever Shredder might throw at him.

* * *

One week. Leo had been here for one week. He sat on the floor, meditating on nothing really in general, when the door opened. Leo opened his eyes and found himself looking into the weapons of a small group of Foot Clan ninjas. He sighed and raised his hands above his head. Two ninjas ran forward and pinned them behind his back, then began dragging him out of the room.

The day had finally come. He was going to see Shredder.

Leo allowed himself to be dragged around the building. He had no idea where he was being taken, but at one point he went down a few flights in an elevator. He looked at the buttons, and was mildly overwhelmed at the sheer number of buttons. It looks like his guess was right; he was in the Rockefeller Center. That, or some other skyscraper that the Foot now owned.

They got to the floor and Leo was lead down a small, dimly lit hallway. At the end of the hallway were two double doors. He was lead through them into a large room, and dropped in the middle of it.

As Leo stood up and looked up, something Mikey had told him flashed back. Something about being forced to fight Foot Clan ninjas in a basketball court sized room before being forced into the Foot Clan. And he was in a room that was very similar to the room Mikey had described.

That was their plan all along! They were trying to force Leo to join! Leo looked at the double doors at each side of the room, then he looked down and found his katanas, lying on the ground. And, all of a sudden, he knew how to escape.

The other door opened, and six Foot ninjas walked in. Leo picked up his katanas and got into a fighting stance. Two charged at him, spears out. Leo smirked. "Too easy," He muttered, and returned their charge.

As he got into range, he quickly cut the ends of the spears off. He smacked the butt of his katana on one ninjas head, then pushed the falling ninja onto his still conscious partner.

He looked over to the group as three more walked out, standing side by side. Leo stood across from them, ready to charge. But, the three didn't move a muscle. Leo took the charge.

As Leo began running, the ninjas began throwing a combination of throwing stars and small daggers. Leo dodged the onslaught with precision, picking up some of the weapons which had fallen to the ground as he ran. Once he got close enough, a few well timed kicks sent the ninjas flying into the wall. None of them had a chance to move before Leo pinned them to the wall with their own weapons.

"Thanks for these, you guys!" Leo teased, then turned his attention to the remaining ninja. The ninja pulled out his own twin set of katanas. "Well, this should be interesting," Leo said, then they both charged at the same time.

They began sparing, and Leo quickly realized that he outmatched this ninja by a mile. As he studied his opponent's techniques, Leo realized that this guy might have been a match for him when he was twelve.

Leo blocked a strike by crossing his swords in front of his face, then he swung out, catching the opponent off-guard. Leo watched the ninja look down at his arm; Leo had cut him lightly, the red line standing out from the rip in the black cloth. He took his enemies distraction to hit him in the gut with the butt of his sword, sending him flying back towards the wall.

Leo had won. He quickly looked at the ninjas standing guard at the doors, then pretended to drop his guard. The guards charged towards him.

Once they got close, Leo jumped, and the four ninjas smacked into each other. He landed in front of the pile of ninjas, then sprinted for the double doors that he hadn't been brought in through.

He emerged into a large open room, with windows. Leo ran to the windows, planning on jumping out and using objects on the way down to break his fall. But, when he got close, he stopped short.

Despite taking an elevator to get to this floor, he was _high_ up, the street looking like a small, dark sliver. Leo had never been this far off the ground before in his life, but he knew he'd never survive a fall from this height.

His head swung right, and he spotted a door with a sign indicating that it was a stairwell. Leo ran towards it, and pretty much broke the door down. As soon as he was in the stairwell, an alarm blared.

"'Emergency exit only. Alarm will sound if opened!'" Leo read the sign aloud, then mentally cursed himself. He didn't have much time now. Pulling his limbs and head into his shell as far as he could, he began rolling down the stairs.

He spun for flights and flights of stairs, trying his hardest to not become dizzy. Soon, he could feel himself knocking people down; probably Foot Clan ninjas trying to stop him. He smiled at his momentum.

Then, it came to a sharp stop as a literal foot was placed on his shell, then kicked him through a door. Leo stood up and pulled out his weapons, and found himself surrounded by a large group of Foot ninjas.

Panic rose in him; this had been the scene he'd seen before being captured. But, he wasn't going to let that happen again. He looked over a spotted a window, and even from here, he could tell he was a lot closer to the ground.

Leo jumped up and began running on the tops of Foot ninja's heads, then ran through the window. He looked down as he began falling, and saw that, thankfully, he was close to the ground and there was a red tarp covering an entrance. Leo maneuvered his fall towards the red tarp, then rolled off of it once he hit it.

As Leo stood up, he checked himself for injuries. Besides a few small cuts from broken glass, he was fine. He looked around. Sure enough, he was in front of the Rockefeller Center, and he oriented himself until he knew what direction home was in. He spotted a manhole, moved it, dropped into the sewers, and headed off in the direction home was.

He kept running, never stopping until the sewers seemed to look familiar again. He surfaced at a manhole to see where he was, and found that he was really close to home. He sighed in relief that this nightmare was almost over. He dropped back into the sewers and turned around to start towards home.

And he found Raph standing there, sais aimed directly at Leo.


	18. Raph's Return

_Chapter 18! I think I'm gonna let the chapter title speak for itself here..._

**Due to school and (minor) illness, brain power too low to write witty disclaimer.**

* * *

Leo acted solely on muscle memory as Raph came towards him. He spun out of the reach of Raph's sai, then smacked him over the head with the butt of his sword. Raph crumpled to the ground, his weapons clattering out of the ground.

Leo began to panic. He ran over to his brother, worried that he'd hit him too hard. Luckily, Raph just seemed to be knocked out, and was still breathing normally.

Leo looked his brother over, the black Foot Clan gear looking foreign compared to his memories.

_"All of the Foot Clan gear has tracking devices on them..."_

Leo began to panic as he remembered the detail Mikey had told him. Raph must have followed him when he escaped from the Foot. And if he left to chase him down, the Foot must be tracking him.

Working quickly, and almost solely on adrenaline, Leo removed all the objects Mikey had taken off before he'd fully left the Foot: Mask, weapons, elbow pads, knee pads. Leo scooped up the objects, climbed back up to the surface, ran up to a roof, and ran in a direction away from home. Once he felt he was far away enough, he threw the objects as far as he could. The adrenaline was really working some wonders; the objects sailed a long way, going farther than Leo should have been able to throw them in his current state.

He quickly ran back to the sewer manhole he'd come from, and was both relieved and worried to see Raph in the same state he'd left him in. Sure, it was good he hadn't left, but Leo was really concerned he'd hit him too hard. He, again, checked vitals, and everything seemed fine.

Using his remaining strength, Leo lifted Raph's arm over his shoulder and began dragging him towards the lair. Even in better health, Leo could tell that carrying Raph would still have been a challenge. Raph was now as tall as Leo, and he had a few more pounds of muscle on him. Add in the fact that Leo was tired and underfed, and he was amazed he hadn't collapsed yet.

"Uhh..." Raph moaned. Leo looked over at him, and he felt a prickle of panic. He could _not_ fight him again if he had too.

Raph turned his head towards Leo. "L-Leo?" He asked, and for the first time since coming to this time, Leo saw Raph's bright green eyes. They had a glazed looked to them, though.

"Yes, Raph, it's me," Leo said.

Somehow, this seemed to comfort Raph. "Are we... Are we going home?"

"Yes, Raph. We're, finally, going home."

"Good..." Raph muttered, then dropped his head again, either back to unconsciousness or he'd fallen asleep.

Leo kept walking, and it hit him that he'd just seen the old Raph. It was only for a few seconds, yes, but he was still there. Maybe taking him home would help break him some more.

Leo walked for nearly twenty more minutes when he spotted the familiar turnstiles. "_Sensei_! April! Mikey!" He called out, his voice cracking from underuse and fatigue. He'd barely gotten the last syllable of Mikey out before all three were out of the lair.

"Leo!" Mikey called, his voice full of relief, but both he and April stopped short when they saw Raph draped over Leo's shoulder. Only Splinter kept running, fully taking the burden of Raph off of him. Mikey and April resumed moving once Leo collapsed, his strength finally leaving him.

"You're home, you're safe, we've got you," April muttered to Leo as she and Mikey helped him up.

"You guys are safe..." Leo muttered.

"Yeah, bro. We made it out from the ambush okay. We didn't even realize they had you until we saw them leave with you," Mikey said.

"We wanted to go after you, but," April started

"I know; they just would've gotten you too," Leo replied. "It's fine. It's better that you two are safe."

April and Mikey helped Leo through the turnstiles. As they walked in, they saw Splinter laying Raph onto the couch, his movements gentle.

"How did you get Raph here?" Mikey asked, helping Leo onto a different section of the couch.

"He followed me," Leo said. "Could I please have some food?" April nodded, and ran to the kitchen.

"And you removed all the trackers?" Splinter asked, now turning his attention to Leo. Leo nodded. April returned, carrying a glass of water and a steaming bowl. Leo looked, and was relieved to see chicken noodle soup. He ate the entire bowl before he told his family his whole ordeal, right up until they found him.

"You got out of the Rockefeller Center all by yourself?" April asked, breathless, and Leo nodded.

"Dude, that's amazing!" Mikey said. "Do you realize how heavily guarded that place is? No one's ever escaped their on their own, and only a small handful with outside help, and that was forever ago! They're probably reviewing the recordings of your escape and working out the bugs in the security system. Man, the guys who run all the security stuff are in _so_ much trouble..." Mikey trailed off on the last few words, his eyes slowly widening in horror.

"Mikey, what?" April asked.

"Donnie helps out with security," He answered. "Mostly the technical side of it than the actual securing, but..." The whole room was silent for a few minutes.

"So, they tried to convert you to the Foot?" Splinter asked, and Leo nodded.

"I realized how they repressed their memories. It's a chemical in their food," Leo said. "They fed me, though only twice. And the day afterword, I felt really weird. My memory was really fuzzy. I think they were trying to get some of that repression chemical in me before they took me to Shredder."

"Michelangelo, did they feed you at all when they first captured you?" Splinter asked.

"A little, but I never felt like that after words. And even when I joined, it took a bit for the memory repression to set it."

"They may have perfected the chemical in the past ten years, or they gave me stronger doses," Leo suggested.

"That is the most likely possibility," Splinter said. "I also believe that you four are not the only ones to receive this treatment. I believe this is how Shredder keeps people in his army. His army has gotten too big too quickly to give it any other explanation."

"The fact that, with a chemical in food, Shredder can make a large group of people blindly follow him is...disturbing," April muttered.

"Yes, it is," Splinter nodded, solemn. "But, we know that the effects can be undone, and we have the chance to do that to Raphael. And from what Leonardo has told us, a bit of the Raphael we know came back on the way over here. However, we need to keep an eye on him when he fully wakes up. We have no idea how he will act.

"For now, though, Leonardo needs his rest. He has been through a tough week. I want you to sleep," Splinter said, giving Leo a look that said he wasn't going to budge.

"_Hai, Sensei_," Leo certainly wasn't going to argue. He, however, wasn't about to let Raph out of his sight, so he pulled the mattress off his bed and dragged it over to the living room.

"You too, huh?" Mikey said to him as he walked in. Much to Leo's surprise, Mikey seemed to have the same idea.

"None of us want him out of our sight, apparently," April said from behind Leo, carrying a sleeping bag.

"As long as everyone gets sleep," Splinter said, walking in carrying his sleeping mat. They all set up by the couch. Leo laid his katanas on the floor, curled up on his bed, grateful for the comfort and familiarity as he fell asleep.

* * *

Leo slowly got up. A full night's sleep felt wonderful, and so was waking up in the lair. Splinter's mat was empty, but both April and Mikey where still sleeping, and by the way they'd fallen asleep, Leo suspected that they'd stayed up and chatted.

His gaze went over to Raph, who was snoring lightly. He got up quickly, ran over to his room, grabbed the red mask he'd found all those weeks ago, and laid it next to where Raph was sleeping.

April began to stir, slowly rolling over to where Leo stood. "Morning," Leo greeted her. She just nodded her head in response, still lost in morning grogginess to answer fully. Mikey snored lightly, still sound asleep.

Suddenly, Raph moved. Leo and April looked over to the couch as Raph began to open his eyes. He blinked a few times, focusing his eyes on the two figures looking over him.

"What? Why are you all here?" He asked.

"'Good morning' to you too," April deadpanned as she stood up.

Raph glowered in her direction. "How did I get here?"

"You followed me, I knocked you out, and brought you home," Leo explained.

"Home? What do you me, 'home'?" Raph spat back. "This isn't home! Why the hell did you bring me back to this shitty place?!"

"Raphael!" All three heads snapped over to the kitchen, where Splinter emerged. "I understand your mind has been tampered with, but I will not allow such language!"

"Why should I give a _damn_?" Raph shot back, standing up. At this, Leo instinctively bent down and grabbed his katanas. At that, Raph snorted. "Oh, really, Fearless? You want that?" Raph reached for his sais, then his eyes widened at the empty holsters. "Where. Are. My. Sais?!"

"I never wanted to fight you," Leo said, ignoring the question. He sheathed his katanas to help his point.

"Oh, sure! Keep telling yourself that!"

"Raph! Stop yelling and think for a second! You can't possibly tell me that you don't remember this place?"

"Of course I do! I remember how much it sucked!" Raph turned to Splinter. "You always loved him more! He was the leader, the model student, the kiss up! I was the hot head, Donnie was the weird nerd, and Mikey was the goofball who never paid any attention! But, he was perfect! You always loved him more! In the Foot Clan, I get respect! They appreciate my skills, my ability to lead! All the things you ignored in favor of Fearless!"

The silence in the lair was deep and long lasting. Splinter, for what seemed like ages, stared at Raph in shock before he began to speak.

"Raphael, I never felt that way. I love you all equally. All four of you had your challenges, including Leonard, but you all had more good in you than bad. You all had things that I love in you. I love Leonardo's strength and responsibility, Donatello's intelligence and ability to think in ways no one else imagined, Michelangelo's open heart and optimistic outlook."

Splinter walked over to Raph, who was staring at him. "And I love you for your determination and passion. For the way you always worked to protect your family. Raphael, I know that part of you is still there, and I urge you to try and find it. We can only do so much to help free you. You need to remember who you are."

Raph kept staring at him, but his eyes where wide, a lost look to them. He slowly sunk back to the couch, head in his hands.

"Raph?" Leo said, approaching him slowly. Raph snapped his head up, looked at him for a few seconds, then ran off. The three of them winced at the slamming of Raph's bedroom door. Nearly a full minute passed in absolute silence.

"Morning everyone!" Mikey cheekily greeted them, a big grin on his face. April, Splinter, and Leo all looked at him, slightly amazed he slept through everything.

"What? Is everything okay?" Mikey asked, the smile slipping off his face.

"Hopefully, it will be soon," Splinter responded, looking back towards where Raph had run off.

They caught Mikey up to speed on what he'd slept through. Once the finished, he had a hopeful look on his face.

"This is a good sign. We're getting to him, reminding him of what he left behind. We just need to keep that up."

That was hard, however, when Raph locked himself in his bedroom. The rest of them went through a normal day, but Mikey, Splinter, and April all tried once to get Raph to emerge. When it was close to dinner time, Leo tried.

"Come on, Raph, you have to come out," Silence. "You can't just stay in there forever," More silence. Leo took a deep breath.

"I've missed you, Raph. A lot. When I got here, and heard what had happened to you, Mikey, and Donnie, it hurt. I know what happened. I know what your mind must feel like. Shredder, he tried to pull me over too. And I felt so confused. I had no idea what was right and wrong, who I was supposed to trust. But, your home is here, and I know you know that, deep down. And, when you figure that out, we've already forgiven you. I've forgiven you."

Leo walked away and into the kitchen. Three sets of faces looked at him. "I tried," he said, shrugging. They nodded solemnly, and ate dinner in silence.

Then, they heard the opening and closing of a door. Then, footsteps, moving slowly, stopping a couple of times before continuing on. Finally, the sound of someone sitting on the couch.

Leo looked at everyone, then slowly got up and walked into the living room. Sure enough, Raph was sitting there, his red mask in one hand, and in the other...

"Spike!" Leo said in shock. He hadn't seen the regular turtle since he came to this time, yet there he was, still looking rather healthy.

Raph chuckled. "Yeah, I found him outside my room," he said, looking down at his pet, who was now asleep in Raph's lap. "I'm sure Splinter told you about the time I came back a few months after I joined the Foot." Leo nodded.

"_Sensei_ told me then that Spike had run away after we had been captured, and he didn't return once in the month I was here. I donno, Leo, maybe he realized that I wasn't me, and didn't want to stick around. And who could blame him? I messed up big time..."

"No, you didn't. You only joined to get Shredder off _Sensei_'s back; Shredder messed with it. And, you're home, which is the most important thing."

"Man, Leo, when did you get so sappy?"

"I guess that portal messed with me more than I realized."

Raph chuckled, then tied his mask on. He looked up at Leo, and grinned. "It feels really good to be home again."


	19. New Information

_Chapter 19! As hard as it is to believe, we don't have many chapters left now. :( Well, all good things must come to an end sometime. But, of course, we still have a few chapters left, and with that, a few more surprises in store... :)_

**Bluh, bluh, bluh, don't sue me, bluh, bluh, bluh, if you do it will suuuuuuuuck. **

* * *

"Raph!" Leo wisely jumped out of the way as Mikey sprinted from the kitchen and tackle-hugged Raph. "I'm so glad you're not under mind control!" Raph returned the hug, though still with a light look of shock on his face.

"Mikey, you yourself know it wasn't mind control," April said, following behind. Mikey let Raph go, and he went over and hugged her. "I'm glad your back. It seems like everyone's been coming back recently," She said, winking at Leo as she said so.

"It's good to be back," Raph replied, then let go of April slowly. Splinter walked into the room, smiling warmly.

"_Sensei_," Raph muttered, tearing up slightly. They embraced, both shaking slightly from emotion. "I'm so, so sorry. For every stupid mistake I've made, up to this morning."

"Raphael, my son, I have forgiven you a long time ago. Welcome home," Splinter said, smiling at him. Raph smiled back, then his smile slowly faded as he looked around the room. The look on his face put the rest of the room on-guard.

"I should be happy to be home, but I'm... I just feel really angry."

"Yep, Raph's back," Mikey deadpanned.

Raph glared at him. "I'm serious. I can hardly remember the last ten years of my life. I feel like Shredder just stole them for me. And then I did some really, really bad stuff. I mean, what the hell-" He stopped short, eyes wide in shock. He gave Splinter a sheepish look. "Sorry. What the heck was I thinking?"

Mikey walked forward, his face that weird mask of seriousness Leo saw more often now. "Your memories where being repressed, and Shredder used that to make you do whatever he wanted. I went through the same thing, remember? We really weren't aware of what we were doing."

Raph nodded, though sighed. "I still did some bad stuff. And it's ten years of my life I'll never get back."

"I skipped ten years of my life," Leo said.

"You certainly look like you have," Raph said. "What exactly happened to you?"

Leo told him the story. When he was finished, Raph looked at him in amazement.

"That's...crazy. Man, I wasn't even really paying attention that night; I just saw you get caught in it. I was too focused on Donnie..." And then the room went silent as they were reminded that there was still one brother missing.

"How is he?" April broke the silence, asking Raph.

"Donnie?" April nodded. "My memories of the Foot are already getting kinda fuzzy, but I remember Mikey and Donnie the strongest. He seemed...fine, as weird as that sounds. He's head of technology for this _stupid_ Dimension X invasion thing. Seriously, why did I _ever _think that was a good idea? But, Donnie's been really busy fixing everything up and stuff. Unfortunately, he's the reason it's been going so well."

"Then it is imperative we try to get Donatello home as soon as possible," Splinter said.

"And once Shredder realizes Raph's gone, he'll be keeping a much closer eye on Donnie," Leo said.

The room went quiet for a few seconds. "Well, we can worry about that later. I'm hungry," Raph said, making his way to the kitchen. The others just smiled knowingly, then followed him in.

Their smiles disappeared when they saw Raph staring at April's homemade calendar hanging on the wall. The look on his face could only be described as horror.

"Are you guys sure this day is correct?" Raph said, very slow and deliberate.

"Yeah, I triple checked it when I made it, and I always cross off the day before first thing in the morning," April said.

Raph turned to them, fear mixing in with the horror. "That means the Dimension X invasion is a week from today."

* * *

Leo didn't sleep well that night. Raph's words kept playing over in his head. They asked him multiple times, trying to make sure that his not-so-reliable memory wasn't lying to him. But, he was certain. April had gone and listened to chatter come through a feed she had on Donnie's old computer. They'd stayed up into the early morning when she emerged, confirming what Raph had told them.

The fact that this was so close was...terrifying. There, Leo had admitted it. All of them had assumed that it was still a long way away. To learn that it was so close... It had only been about a month ago when Shredder had announced the plan. He'd probably been working on it some before then, and things certainly would have sped up once he got the whole Foot Clan involved. But, they did it all so fast...

Still rather early, Leo finally gave up on sleeping, and got up. He was about to the kitchen, when he spotted Splinter and Raph, who seemed to be talking. By the looks of their faces, neither had slept. Leo slowly backed away, and softly walked into their living room, giving them privacy.

He ended up dozing off out of tiredness and boredom, and was startled when Raph's footsteps woke him up.

"Oh, sorry," Raph said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"It's fine; I was just dozing, really," Leo said, standing up and stretching. "You okay?"

Raph seemed slightly startled by the question. "I'm feeling better. I'm still getting used to everything. It's all been one big shock after another."

"Trust me, I know how that feels. Coming here for the first time was strange."

"Yeah, and you had this whole Shredder mess to learn about and get used to. I was, obviously, around for that. I can't imagine having to come here from when we were fifteen and finding...this."

"It's been hard, but I'm getting through it."

"One of Leo's master plans, I take it," Raph smiled, joking with him slightly.

Leo chuckled. "Eh, I've been mostly winging this one."

"You were always good at that too. It happened too often for not to be," Raph grinned, then yawned. "I'm gonna go sleep."

"Have a good...sleep?" Leo and Raph chuckled.

"We'll go with that," Raph said, then gave a light wave as he headed towards his room, untying his mask as he walked.

The day passed in a long, lazy way. April and Mikey emerged later, and they sparred some to make up for the fact that Splinter was sleeping and unable to conduct training. However, they ended up spending most of the day just hanging out. But, the ever closer Dimension X invasion loomed over them. It was the elephant in the room; you just couldn't ignore it.

Splinter and Raph woke up in the early afternoon. At some point, Splinter had replaced Raph's sais, so he and Leo sparred a bit.

They were in the middle of a fight when April walked in. "If you boys are done fighting, I'd like to talk to Leo."

"What's up?" Leo said, trying to look somewhat casual as he got up. Raph backed up.

"Splinter wants me, you, and Mikey to head up to the surface and inform the rebel groups of the Dimension X invasion date."

"I'm in," Leo said.

"So, I'm not invited?" Raph said. April sighed, like she expected this.

"Splinter doesn't want you going because he doesn't want Shredder knowing yet that you've defected back to us."

"Honestly, Shredder will figure that out. I never returned to the Foot HQ, and they've probably found where Leo tossed my old gear. Shredder will assume that you've captured me, and he'll quickly figure things out from there. I mean, you got Mikey before me, though he freed himself a while ago. Besides, I'd rather go up. I _want_ Shredder to know that I'm not going to be his little lackey anymore."

April stepped back, and put her hands up in a defensive position. "Okay, Raph, don't shoot the messenger. You're going to want to take this up with _Sensei_."

Raph walked out, determination etched on his face. "Yep, Raph's definitely back," Leo said.

"Do you think he'll convince Splinter?"

"Eh, stranger things have happened."

A bit later, Raph emerged and told them Splinter had allowed him to go up with them. They accepted it, told Splinter they were leaving, and headed topside.

Leo had to admit, it felt good to be working in a team again. The four of them ran together, keeping an eye out for any potential enemies. Raph ended up helping out more than they figured, as he knew surveillance plans better. Still, he hung back as Leo and April broke the news to the resistance groups. Mikey went occasionally, but some groups didn't trust him, figuring that he was pretending to have defected from the Foot and was acting as a double agent. Leo and April had tried their hardest to convince them otherwise, but they couldn't blame them for being cautious. Due to that, and that his defection wasn't as public, they figured it was best that Raph stay more behind the scenes for now.

As Leo went and told the leaders the news, many reacted in the same way they had: shock and horror. They then told Leo and April that they were going to mull this info over, tell their followers, and get back to them later.

They finished getting to every group and started to head home, heading across rooftops. As they ran Leo felt someone watching him on his right. He was about to say so, when the person attacked, tackling him. Leo rolled onto his back, then pulled his katanas out. They were met by another blade.

"Karai!" He yelled, and she just smirked at him. His eyes ran down a small, thin line running down her cheek. Leo kicked her off him, and stood up to find that a rather large fight had broken out. April and Mikey were fighting a swarm of Foot Clan, Donnie among them. Raph was nowhere to be seen.

"Missed me?" She teased him, but there was malice in her eyes.

"I'm not much for lying, so no," Leo replied, striking. She blocked his blows expertly. Swing upward-blocked. Downward-blocked. Leo couldn't find a kata or move to throw her off. He was slowly sliding into defensive mode, and he knew it was going to get to a point that Karai would be able to strike. She could see it too, considering the disturbed smile growing on her face, making the scar stand out more.

Suddenly, a cry was heard from Leo's left, and Raph flew in from out of nowhere and began to spar with Karai.

"Raph...Raphael!" She yelled, shocked, gathering the attention of the rest of the Foot. The enemy ninjas seemed to be various states of shock, including Donnie.

"Hi there, Karai," Raph casually said. "You know, I never trusted you." He started to charge at the still shocked _kunoichi_, when another blur knocked him down.

Leo watched in shock as Donnie punched Raph in the face. "You _traitor_!" Donnie yelled, a rage in his voice that Leo had never heard before.

"You have no right to talk!" Raph yelled back, his face a mix of anger, and light shock. "You continue to work with the _Foot_! They're our sworn enemy, remember? Try to remember, Donnie!"

Donnie, scowling, started striking with his staff, while Raph blocked swings. At one point, Donnie jabbed the end into Raph's side, knocking him over. At this Leo, who had been watching in shock with everyone else, ran forward, kicking Donnie out of the way.

"Donnie, listen to me. Your memories are being repressed. Remember what the Shredder and the Foot Clan did to us! What they did to April! They forced her underground; Karai hunted her down and nearly took her! And you think it's okay to keep working for them? You're smart, Donnie, a genius. Use that brain of yours and think!"

He could tell that pulling the April card had done some work; Donnie stopped attacking, and seemed to look regretful for a while. But, the look was soon gone as Donnie charged, and Leo barely had enough time to block the incoming strike.

"Funny, how you mention my intelligence, considering you never seemed to appreciate it!" Donnie said, angry, though also at a much quieter level. "Every time I invented something, every time I tried to tell you guys something useful, you blew me off. All of you!" He glared hard at Raph at this.

"At the Foot Clan, they appreciate my skill, my intellect. I get _respect_, both me and my work. They understand that my intelligence is important and useful. They give me the respect that I never got from my so-called 'family'!"

Leo never got a chance to reply; Donnie struck, hitting Leo on the side of the head, knocking him down to the ground. Raph got back up and continued to fight his brother, no longer exchanging words, but just blows. Leo was getting up, when he spotted Karai coming towards him. He braced himself for the hit, when April jumped in front of her suddenly, beginning to fight.

Leo stood up and ran over to give support to Mikey, who was fighting swarms of Foot ninjas on his own. Leo was relieved to see that these ninjas didn't seem to be as skilled as Donnie or Karai, and they dropped easily.

As he fought, he kept an eye on Raph and April, who seemed to be holding their own. Once he and Mikey had taken down the onslaught, they ran over. Mikey joined Raph, while Leo ran to Karai, who had her back to him. He gave a sharp kick to her back, then smacked her in the side with the butt of his swords. Karai began to get up, but April gave her a swift kick to the stomach, and she was out.

Donnie had Raph backed up to a roof, and Mikey had just been knocked behind them. Leo and April began to run over, but Mikey stood up from where he'd fallen, then swung his kusarigama chain around Donnie's calves and pulled him on his back.

Donnie glared up at Raph as Leo and April joined them, but much of the malice was gone. Once April walked into his view, his gaze softened more, and as Raph began talking, it didn't harden.

"I know what you're going through. I know that things seem confusing and weird. I know that you feel like the Foot are giving you a better life. But, you need to think. You are smart, you can see that something isn't right in the Foot. I know that, deep down, you know something's blocking your memories. Fight it, Donnie. I know you can."

"And when you get your mind back, we'll be here," Leo said.

"And know that we all have forgiven you. And that we miss you," April said.

Mikey silently released Donnie, and they all braced themselves when he stood up. Donnie, however, stared at all of them, his face unreadable. He looked as though he wanted to say something. Instead, he ran off.


	20. Donnie's Fight

_Chapter 20! Again, chapter title. ;) Also, there might be some artistic license in effect when it comes to chemistry. Though my transcript says I got A's and B's in Chemistry, my teacher honestly didn't teach us much, and didn't care. So, I don't know a lot about the subject, so any errors I make, blame my old teacher. XD_

**I legitimately don't have time to get sued. **

* * *

The fight was huge. Yells, cries, and the sound of weapons hitting each other filled the air. Foot Clan fought rebels though the old, dusty upper floor of TCRI. Each side was trying their hardest to fight, stay alive, and win the fight.

Leo found himself caught in the middle of it all. He ran through the chaos. What his target was, even he wasn't sure of. But, he knew it was near the portal's controls, so that's where he was going.

As he ran, other fights caught his eye. Mikey and April were both going against random Foot ninjas, and the Foot where dropping like flies. Mikey and April where barely breaking a sweat.

Raph, however, couldn't say the same. He was going against Karai, and he'd just dodged another one of her strikes. Both of them were out of breath, but determined to keep fighting. Raph gave a jump attack as Leo looked away.

Leo wasn't sure where Splinter was, but his instinct told him he was fighting Shredder in another part of TCRI. He knew that fight would be intense and full of pent up revenge. He hopped that Splinter would end up on top again.

As Leo approached the controls, he began to realize his target: Donnie. He stood in front of the controls, seemingly getting everything ready.

"Donnie! Listen to me!" Somehow, this got Donnie's attention, as he looked away from the controls and towards his brother. Again, that unreadable expression crossed over his face.

"Use that brain of yours. This is a bad idea and you know it! If you open that portal, you risk the lives of _everyone_ here! Don't do it, Donnie!"

Suddenly, Leo is tackled out of the way, and he can hear Donnie call for him. Before Leo can even process what has happened, he is lifted up by the neck and slammed against a wall. Starting to choke, Leo looked into the face of his attacker, and fear filled him as he met the Shredder's eyes.

Shredder looked back over to Donnie, who was staring at them in shock. "Donatello, do as I tell you, and turn on that portal!"

Donnie stared at them for a few more seconds, then his face hardened, and he gave a curt nod to Shredder.

"Donnie, NO!" Leo cried out, but it was too late. He could only watch in horror as Donnie pressed a button, and the portal's lights flickered on, their normal pink color back.

Shredder turned back to Leo, murderous intent behind his eyes, when the whole building began to shake. Everyone looked towards the portal as something big began to emerge...

* * *

Leo woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He was working on regaining control of his breathing when a scream echoed down the hall.

"Mikey!" Leo cried, recognizing the owner of the voice. He was out of bed and in Mikey's room quickly, where Mikey sat on his bed, trembling. Leo made his way over to him, and Raph followed close behind. Mikey buried himself into Leo's chest.

"It...It was awful!" Mikey got out. "We...We were in TCRI and...and...we lost."

Leo found himself rubbing Mikey's back in a soothing pattern. "I know. I had the exact same dream," He admitted. Raph made his way over, and pulled them closer, not saying anything. He didn't have too; all of them were scared. The TCRI invasion was four days away, and they didn't have much of a plan in place. The fact that they could fail was very real.

The rebel groups they were in contact with said that many of them would try to help in any way, but it was hard. They didn't have any details of the invasion itself beyond the date, so they had no idea when to go to TCRI or how many Foot Clan would be there. And, some rebel groups have outright admitted they cannot fight, either because they lack numbers or enough people skilled in combat. It was difficult to hear.

Mikey moved away from Leo. "Feeling any better?" Leo asked, and Mikey shrugged in response. "Come on, we've gotta go to training."

It had been two days since their fight with the Foot and Donnie, and they'd been training almost nonstop since. Splinter figured that the Shredder was prepping the Foot for the invasion, but he might not be expecting there to be any resistance. Still, he wanted them prepared to face a lot of ninjas.

Since their last fight, Leo found himself carrying Donnie's mask with him. He believed that they had really put a dent in Shredder's control of Donnie. He just had to hope that his brother would come to his senses, and return before the invasion.

Luckily, Splinter remembered what had happened the last time he'd pushed them too hard, and gave them evenings off. After their afternoon session, Splinter called Leo and April over before the left the dojo.

"I hate to ask you to do more work, but we are low on food again. Due to Shredder's increase in security, and the fact he's publicly admitted that Michelangelo and Raphael have defected, I only want you two to head up."

"It's fine, _Sensei_, Leo and I can handle it," April said, and Leo nodded.

"Good, I want you to head up as soon as possible."

"_Hai, Sensei_," They both replied together, and then left the lair. They started on their normal path, but April soon took a turn Leo wasn't familiar with. It occurred to him that they avoided the part of their route that they had been ambushed on. They soon returned to the normal path once they passed by that area.

They were almost done when they spotted someone in silhouette. Leo attempted to figure out who the figure was, when they entered the light.

"Donnie," April breathed, and in a second, their food was on the ground and both she and Leo had their weapons out. In response, Donnie raised his hands above his head.

"Leo, April," Donnie said, looking at them. His face was hard to read, but Leo thought he looked...lost. For a bit, though, it turned to one of almost amusement. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not even armed," He turned to the side, hands still up, and showed that his holster was indeed empty.

"What about the trackers?" Leo asked.

"They're disabled," He said facing them again, then slipped one hand into his belt and pulled out a small object that looked like a smart phone. "I should know how to; I invented them. Apparently, a part of my mind was still there when I did that, as I put an app on my phone, that Shredder doesn't know about, that disables them."

He started chuckling then, but it was filled with sadness. Leo and April slowly put their weapons away as it occurred to them that they were looking at the old Donnie, abet one of was somewhat still connected to the new Donnie.

"I'm so confused! And I'm so stupid! I know that I should leave and go home, but there's a part of me that feels like I can't," Donnie said, trembling slightly.

"Donnie, I know," Leo said, walking towards his brother. "But, you need to listen to that part of you that's telling you to come home. Your memories, they were-"

"I know, I know, they were suppressed," Donnie said, cutting him off. "I figured that out years ago. Shredder gave me a lot of free time in the labs, and I found the vile of the stuff they slipped into our food. I've always been a curious one, so I studied it. I knew what he was doing, and I still played along!" He yelled suddenly.

"It was because you were under its effects. It affected your thinking, everything about you," Leo said.

"I know; in a weird way, it's amazing like that. I studded that chemical for almost three solid weeks. The fact that a few drops in some food can do so much to your brain chemistry and behavior; it's amazing. I'm not sure who came up with it, but, obviously, it works fantastically," Donnie gave another dark chuckle at that.

"Mikey and Raph, how long did it take for them to break?" Donnie asked suddenly.

"Mikey told me his was almost immediate once he was reminded enough of his old life. It took Raph a few hours," Leo answered.

At this, Donnie punched a wall, causing Leo and April to jump. "Then why is it taking me _two days?_ Ever since that fight we got in, my mind has been spinning! I can't think straight, I don't even know what's going on! It's amazing I was able to get out here without anyone seeing me leave Foot headquarters!" He looked at them, shaking, his face full of fear and confusion. "Why am I still so attached?" His voice wavered, and he bent his head down.

At this, April approached him, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm...I'm so stupid!" Donnie said. "How could I have been dragged into this? How could I have ever thought this was a good idea? I mean, the_ Foot Clan_? Wake up, Donnie!"

April began talking to him. "Donnie, you did it at first to help Splinter, and to stay alive. You never expected Shredder to pull a card like that. When you found the chemical, it was already at work in you. You really couldn't realize what was going on. You can't beat yourself up over this."

Something seemed to come to Donnie. He looked up at them. "While I was studying the chemical, I made a discovery. The more enjoyment you get out of the activity the chemical is trying to get you stuck on, the stronger it is. Mikey didn't like the Foot much even when he was stuck in the thick of it; it was too militaristic, too strict for him. He was out as soon as he could.

"Raph? He probably enjoyed being the leader, and a lot of the fighting and physical work that went into the job. But, even he disliked it on a deep level, and once you got him away from the Foot for a long period of time, he was free.

"But, me? I will admit, there was one thing about the Foot I loved; the research labs. I pretty much had an entire floor to myself, and two more floors that I was in charge of. You know that I was never the most athletic of the group. I was never the best fighter. There, I got to spend almost as much time as I wanted in the labs, studying and inventing new things. I got to work with so much new equipment, instead of having to search through junkyards. That chemical latched onto that, and it's stubborn. I can't let it go completely, no matter how much I try. But, I don't want to be stuck there."

Leo approached. "Then, don't be," He said, then pulled out Donnie's mask. Donnie looked at it, and slowly took it from Leo. Then, he took the black mask off, and Leo saw his brown eyes for the first time. They were filled with so much confusion and fear, but Leo could see determination building. Slowly, Donnie tied the purple mask around his face.

Then, he collapsed onto April's shoulder, tears falling down his face. April just held him, allowing him to get the emotions out.

Leo approached a few minutes later. Donnie looked at him, then broke from April and hugged him. "Leo," Donnie whispered.

"Yeah, Donnie?"

"Can we go home?"

Leo chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask."


	21. Preparations

_Chapter 21! Sorry if this chapter seems kinda...awkward. It was written in pieces due to a combo of patchy writers block, RL stuff, and my discovery of Homestuck (It's a web comic that's about... 600,000+ words. XD). So, this may not be my best work, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! :)_

**Not suing me would be very much appreciated! :)**

* * *

They led Donnie home, taking extra precautions against any patrols. Donnie had assumed that Shredder must have noticed his absence by now. He was in between Leo and April, carrying some of the food.

Leo couldn't help but keep looking at him, as though if he were to look away for too long, he'd disappear. He'd finally fully pulled his brothers away from the Foot Clan, and was bringing the last one home. The fact he'd been able to even do that was amazing.

They made it back to their manhole, and slowly crept down. As they regained their footing, Leo looked at Donnie, who was slowly taking everything in.

"Anything coming back?" Leo asked hopefully. Donnie sighed and shook his head.

The walk home was short and silent. Donnie continued to look around as they walked, trying to find something that looked familiar.

As they approached the turnstiles, Leo watched a small smile grow on Donnie's face. It then turned to a look of shock, causing Leo to turn towards the entrance to their home. Mikey was standing there, obviously having been waiting for April and Leo to return home. But, his blue eyes were locked on Donnie.

April slowly took the food package that Donnie was holding from him, then nodded. Donnie ran forward, tackling Mikey in a hug, tears running down both their cheeks.

"I knew you'd be home soon," Was all Mikey said.

The four walked inside, and Donnie continued to look around, the grin on his face growing.

"Raph! _Sensei_! Come quick!" Mikey yelled out, while Leo and April put the food away. Raph and Splinter ran into the living room, stopping short when they spotted Donnie.

"D-Donnie?" Raph asked, a look of shock on his face. Donnie nodded, and then Raph had him in a hug quickly.

"Good to see you in a right state of mind," Raph said.

"You too," Donnie replied, then they broke apart. Then Raph, with a sly grin on his face, hit Donnie on the back of the head.

"OW! What was that for?" Donnie asked.

"Old time's sake," Raph muttered. Donnie just rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Splinter, who hadn't moved from his spot yet, and just stared at Donnie.

"_Sensei_, I'm so sorry," He said, walking towards him. Splinter continued to stare, unbelieving.

Suddenly, Splinter pulled him close, shaking slightly. "Donatello, you are home. That's all I need." Donnie smiled, staying in the hug for a while.

Donnie soon broke away, sat down, and explained to Raph, Mikey, and Splinter about what had happened the past few days, and what he knew about the chemical.

"That explains a lot," Splinter said a few minutes after Donnie had finished. "How do you feel right now?"

"Still...really fuzzy," Donnie admitted. "But, it clears up the longer I stay here. The problem is-I can't."

A mix of sighs and groans came from the group at this. "Donnie, we've been over this: You don't need to be with the Shredder and the Foot Clan anymore," Leo said.

"I know that! You didn't let me finish!" Donnie snapped, then looked rather shocked at himself. "Sorry. But, I've got an idea.

"As you guys have probably already figured out, I'm rather important in this upcoming TCRI invasion. And I've been doing a lot of work on the portal to prepare for this stupid thing. However, it's not quite finished yet. Shredder doesn't want me to complete construction until the actual invasion because he's afraid someone will sneak into TCRI and use it. Never mind the fact that you need high clearance to even go within five feet of TCRI, much less go _in_. Anyway, I think I can go in, go through its servers, look at what happened to it when it was stuck by lightning all those years ago, and recreate that, with some modifications."

Leo blinked. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"It means, I'm going to have the portal act like it did when it sent you forward it time, except have it send you back to your own time," Donnie explained.

Go back to his own time... Leo never even thought it was possible. He never even let himself think or dream about it. He had told himself that this new time was where he was going to live now, and that the past was just that – the past.

"You really think you could do that?" Leo asked Donnie, his voice sounding distant.

Donnie nodded. "Of course, to keep working on the portal, I need to stay in the Foot Clan, at least physically. So, for now, my defection will stay private. And I mean that; no telling anyone outside of this room that I've broken that connection with the Foot. The last thing we need is that getting back to Shredder.

"And with that, I really need to leave. I can't arouse any suspicion, and I can't risk them finding out I can disable my trackers. I'll turn them back on once I'm a good distance from the lair. I'll come back at some point to go over some more specifics on this TCRI invasion."

"We understand, my son. Just remember where your home is," Splinter said, pulling Donnie into another hug.

"I will, _Sensei_. My mind hasn't felt this clear in many, many years," Donnie replied, chuckling slightly. He went around and hugged everyone else. Then, he untied his purple mask.

"Keep it," April said, inferring Donnie's question. "Hide it well, but keep it." Donnie nodded, a faint smile on his face, before turning and leaving the lair.

* * *

Donnie returned the next day, late in the morning. As everyone gathered for lunch, Donnie went over the Dimension X invasion.

"The Foot is going to be infuriating TCRI at seven PM, and they _will_ be on time. Shredder is sending his best troops. You guys will have a fight ahead of you.

"Here's my plan: You five, along with any allies, will sneak into TCRI at 6:30. I'll remotely disable alarms at that time. You'll have those thirty minutes to prepare for the Foot. Shredder isn't planning on any resistance, so hopefully there being some already there will throw off his guard. You guys start fighting, and Leo, try you best to stay as close to the portal as possible. I'll get over to the controls, and start preparing them. The Foot can't know I've defected until the last possible moment, otherwise they'll prevent me from getting to the controls and doing everything I need to do. But, tell your allies that night, so they don't get in my way either. Once I turn the portal on, it should turn blue, and that's when Leo goes in and returns to the past."

"And what about the rest of us?" Raph asks.

"I destroy the portals controls, and we keep fighting," Donnie says, looking grim. "It won't be easy, but I believe that if we can get Leo back to his own time, he can prevent this future from happening. I'm going to try my best to send Leo back as close as I can to the time when he came here. I can't do it before he leaves, however, or we'll get a paradox."

"I think you're forgetting something," Leo says. "If you're sending me back right after I would have left, that means I'm coming back to an injured you, and my time's Foot Clan in route to TCRI. If they get to us, we just get this future again, only with me in the Foot as well. How am I going to get out of there without past you dying?"

Donnie chuckled slightly. "Did you seriously think I'd forget to save my own life? Follow me," He said, standing up and leaving the room. Leo shrugged, then followed Donnie into his old lab. Leo hadn't actually been in the room since coming to this time. It was similar to how he remembered it looking, only all of the inventions where rusted and broken. Leo saw the crestfallen look on Donnie's face as he spotted his old projects. But, he quickly shook the look off and walked over to the bookshelf by his old desk.

"Funny, I figured this place would be dirtier," Donnie mused as he eyes scanned the bookshelf.

"Splinter dusted your guy's old bedrooms every week. I assume he did the same here."

Donnie chuckled. "Makes since; I slept in here most of the time, usually by accident," His eyes stopped short on a book on the third shelf down from the top. "Aha! Here it is!" Donnie exclaimed as he pulled the book from the shelf, flicked through the pages, then handed the open book to Leo.

Leo looked down and scanned the diagrams and step-by-step instructions. "Donnie, this is a first aid book," He said in confusion.

"No, it's a textbook used by medical students I found years ago after a rainstorm washed it into the sewers. Anyway, as soon as I get you back to your time, you need to get us straight home. Get out of TCRI and into the first manhole you can find. Once you get home, get Master Splinter. He should know where I keep my first aid equipment. Then, find this book and go to this page. Splinter knows enough first aid that the two of you should be able to save me."

Leo read through the page more thoroughly this time, and he could feel some light amount of panic rising in him. "Donnie, what if-"

"Leo, you're our leader. I know you can get through this. Besides, asking 'What if?' questions causes nothing but unnecessary worry. Everything will be fine."

Donnie said this with enough conviction in his voice that Leo felt himself buying his words. But, as they both looked at each other, the task ahead of them weighed on their minds. It was huge, and seemingly impossible. But, Leo knew that if anyone could get through it, it was his team, his family, his brothers.


	22. Invasion: TCRI

_Chapter 22! First off, shout out to StormyNight108 for being reviewer number 100! And thanks to those who've written the other 99 and beyond! Your support means a lot! :D It's time for the big fight everyone! And because this is a big fight, there will be a lot blood. I'm serious; this is a very violent chapter. A bunch of random background characters die. But, there is no major character death. This doesn't rule out major characters getting injured, however... Why don't I shut up and let you read? :)_

**You guys are going to be on the edge of your seat so much, you'll fall off and forget about suing me.**

* * *

They talked to fellow rebels, made plans, and got equipment together. They trained for long hours, and, due to stress, slept for few. Donnie gave them a few more details in terms of Foot numbers and battle strategies.

After hours of planning and preparation, the day of the invasion had come. And Leo found himself in a very familiar setting: sitting in the dojo, sharpening his katanas.

"Why am I not surprised to find you here?" Splinter said as he came in, a light amount of amusement in his voice.

Leo chuckled. "It's calming. And, hey, they needed sharpening."

Leo stood up, and he and Splinter hugged. "As weird as it is to say, I hope you do not return here from your mission," Splinter said.

"Oh, I'll return," Leo replied. "Just not in this time."

They broke apart, and, wordlessly, knew it was time to go. They walked out into the living room. Mikey and April sat together silently, and they both looked up as Leo and Splinter walked in. Raph emerged from his room carrying Spike, covered head-to-toe in weapons.

Splinter looked at everyone, then gave a curt nod, and everyone wordlessly left the lair. They made their way to the surface and began running towards TCRI. The city streets where as quiet as they normally where, but there was an additional stillness as well. Shredder had announced the day before that the invasion was happening, and people had locked themselves away, waiting for the worst.

They made their way to the roof of TCRI, and April checked her watch. "6:32," She muttered. "Donnie should have deactivated the alarms by now."

They carefully made their way in through a broken window, and began to wait. By 6:45, their rebel allies had shown up, and Splinter told them the full plan. Surprisingly, few where shocked at the revelation that Donnie had defected. They had figured it was natural, considering Mikey and Raph's defections. After that, no one talked; everyone just stayed focused on the upcoming battle.

Time seemed to pass slowly, and Leo could feel the pressure growing on him with every passing minute. He had so much to do, and that was just in this time. If Donnie was able to send Leo back to the past, the amount of things he had to accomplish was enormous.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he found Raph standing there. He pulled Leo up and into a hug. A few seconds later, Mikey joined them. They stood like this for a few seconds, before pulling apart, and, as though reading each other's minds, went into a high three.

"Everyone! In the shadows. Shredder and the Foot will be here at any moment," Splinter called out, and the three retreated together, and waited in the darkness.

It felt like hours had passed when the Foot finally showed up. At first it was just a few scouts, and everyone stayed in the shadows, waiting for the signal.

Soon, the entire invasion force was there, Shredder leading at the helm. On his right was Karai, and Donnie stood on his left. Leo watched Donnie's eyes dart to the controls, then look up at Shredder. Shredder nodded, and Donnie ran towards the controls.

As Donnie stood by the controls, looking over the buttons, he bent down, and, in a whisper, a single word came from him.

"Booyakasha."

TCRI exploded into pandemonium as Leo, his family, and their allies struck out from the shadows, locking into battle with the unsuspecting Foot. Shredder looked around in shock for only a few seconds, until Splinter charged forward and they were soon locked in a fierce battle.

For a while, they were doing well, and Leo saw some Foot clan members go down with injuries varying in severity. But, it soon became obvious that this early victory was due to their element of surprise. As the Foot overcame this, they began coming back.

Leo was making his way over to the portal as he had been instructed, when he saw the first dead person. It was one of their allies, though it was one Leo didn't know well. He froze for a second, just staring at the body on the floor, the candy red blood flowing from some wound. He forced himself to look away, and kept running, kept fighting. The only way to prevent this future was to win this fight, and he couldn't let him get distracted.

As Leo got close to the portal and began fighting enemies. As he fought, he kept an eye on the rest of the fighting. Donnie was working at the controls, his purple mask on. Surrounding him was April, Mikey, and a few of their allies, fighting off swarms of Foot in an effort to allow Donnie to finish the job. Much to Leo's terror, everyone in that fight was bleeding. Leo watched as a Foot ninja threw a star that nicked Donnie in the face. Donnie didn't even seem to notice his bleeding cheek; he just kept working.

Leo's eyes scanned to a nearby corner, where Raph and Karai fought with a vengeance. Raph seemed to have given Karai a matching cut on her other cheek, but he was bleeding from various small cuts as well. He seemed to have gotten a blow in, because she was standing back, breathing heavily. With a cry, she charged, katanas out, and Raph met her blow.

Meanwhile, Splinter and Shredder where fighting all over TCRI. Like the master ninja's they were, they fought using the shadows, emerging, striking, then backing away. Due to this, Leo had a hard time telling who was winning, but he hoped for the best.

He kept fighting back ninja after ninja, trying his best to give blows that would get the enemy to back off, but nothing fatal. He... he wasn't sure how he could live with the fact he'd taken someone's life, even an enemy's.

Even so, he slashed freely, cutting arms, legs, and faces. He'd knock the butt of his sword into the abdomen of enemies. He blocked blows, and ignored the growing number of cuts and bruises that where lining him.

Suddenly, a scream that was distinctly April's came from across the room, and Leo looked over. Mikey lay on the ground, blood seeping out from a where his arm should be. He watched Donnie glanced over and then went right back to the controls, though the horror on his face was evident.

"Mikey!" Raph yelled, and at the same time, Splinter took notice. With a cry, Splinter shoved Shredder into a wall, sending him slumping to the floor. Raph and Splinter ran over to Mikey, gently picked him up, and carried him away from the fighting. Splinter began making a tourniquet, while Raph went back to the fighting.

Leo's eyes where so transfixed on the scene that he almost missed the blade swinging behind him. He had just enough time to duck his head as a blade swept across the space where his neck once was. He turned sharply and gave his would-be killer a swift kick in the stomach, which sent him flying. A new rage filled him, and he was ready to take down as much Foot as he could.

He kept fighting, and tried his best to avoid looking at the floor, which was starting to accumulate bodies from both sides. He was able to sneak a glance over to where Mikey was and saw that, though he was unconscious, he was breathing.

But, only a few minutes later, a cry came from where Raph was. One of Karai's blades was sticking in his shoulder. Leo began to make his way over, when Raph gave a growl, grabbed Karai by the neck, and slammed her into a wall. She crumpled to the ground, and laid unmoving. Raph staggered over to the controls, and, somehow, kept fighting, assisting the guard around Donnie.

Soon, Splinter had joined them. In fact, many of the remaining rebels had formed a wall around Donnie, who continued to work, lost to the chaos and noise of battle. Leo fought his own small army, some of them assuming he was around the portal for a reason.

"Leo!" He turned as his name rang across the hall. Donnie was standing at the controls, looking both anxious and elated. "It's ready! Just get to the portal and I'll turn it-"

It all happened so fast. One minute Donnie was talking, the next, Shredder was behind him, and there was a sword through Donnie's gut. Leo watched in complete shock as Shredder removed the sword, and Donnie gave a light gasp. Then, Splinter emerged from the shadows, tackling Shredder to the ground.

"Do not _ever_ lay a hand on my sons!" He yelled as their fight continued. Leo watched Donnie in shock, who stared right back.

"I'll turn it on," Donnie said, a small trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. "Then, you'll be back in the past."

Leo nodded. He ran to the portal, knocking over Foot ninja's in his way. As he made his way to the center circle, he looked over at Donnie. April now stood next to him, but he was still conscious. They both nodded at Leo. Donnie, with some help from April, hit a large button in the center of the controls.

"Thank you for everything, Leo," April said as the canons turned on, the blue lights flashing. Leo closed his eyes and fell into a welcoming bright light.


	23. Leonardo

_Chapter 23! The last chapter! Let's not waste anymore time!_

**If you've just now decided to sue me, you're a little late.**

* * *

The light died down. Leo opened his eyes. Blinking back into focus, he looked around. He was in TCRI. A sinking feeling came into his stomach. It didn't work; he was still in the future.

Then, he realized that there were no sounds of fighting. And that the building looked newer. He looked around, and saw the dark rain clouds outside. There was no battle raging between rebels and Foot. There was, however, two mutant turtles bent over a third, who was lying on the ground unconscious.

_It worked!_ Leo began to smile. Donnie did it! He was home! Then, he turned to where his brothers, his _fifteen_-year-old brothers, where with Donnie still unconscious, and the smile left his face. There was one battle won, but he still hadn't achieved victory yet.

He suddenly locked eyes with Raph, and a look of shock crossed over his brother's face. "Leo!" Raph was breathless. Mikey looked up at Raph's words, and he had a look of relief.

Leo ran forward to Donnie. When he looked down at his brother, panic filled him. What was he supposed to do? Then he remembered what, weirdly enough, Donnie had told him.

"Come on, guys, we have to get him out of here!" He said, and his words had a galvanizing effect on Raph and Mikey. Raph carefully placed Donnie on his back, and the three ran to the elevator, and headed down to the first floor. Leo and Mikey pulled out their weapons and stood in front of Raph, preparing for enemies.

But, when they got to the front lobby, the room was empty. "They must have left already," Mikey said, looking around. Leo swept his eyes over the room, expecting a sneak attack. Instead, his eyes came across a ninja star that was distinctly Foot Clan. He picked it up, and a memory flashed back; a similar ninja star nicking Donnie in the fact, but him just ignoring and working on the portal.

Leo shook the memory out of his mind. He needed to focus on the present. "That or someone else is here," He said, and Raph and Mikey looked over. Both their eyes widened at the star. "We need to move."

There were no arguments. The group left the building and headed down to the sewers at the first manhole they saw. As they ran through the sewer tunnels, Leo continued to have flashes of memories: Food runs, getting back to home after the fight with Karai, leading Mikey, then Raph, and the Donnie home. As the memories swirled, he kept looking back at his brothers to confirm that, yes, he was in the right time.

"_Sensei!_" Leo turned as the cry came from Raph. He and Mikey soon joined in. Shortly after they came in view of the turnstiles, Splinter was there, alone with April. Leo felt relieved to see them both younger looking. Both their faces were filled with worry, and once they got close, Splinter ran forward and took Donnie from an exhausted Raph. April's hands had flown to her face, and she looked near tears.

Leo ran to Splinter. "He was electrocuted. He's alive, but barely." Splinter nodded as the two of them headed to Donnie's lab, where the first aid equipment was. Leo ran to his bookshelf, scanning the shelves. He found the one that Donnie had shown him – How could ten years in the future feel like a few days ago? – and turned to the correct page. When he brought the boom to Splinter, his eyebrows raised at Leo's quick finding of the page, but he didn't question it. They both got to work on Donnie.

A few hours later, they had Donnie stabilized and breathing. The two cleaned themselves off and then Leo hugged Splinter, tears in the corner of his eyes. He'd done it, he'd made it home, saved his brother, and the future. Splinter just held Leo for a few minutes, allowing him to relax. The two then headed out to the living room.

April and Mikey sat on the couch, comforting each other, both with tears running down their cheeks. Raph sat nearby, petting Spike, looking crestfallen. The group looked up at Splinter and Leo, hope echoing on their faces.

"Donnie is going to be fine," Leo said, a small smile forming on his face. "Everything is going to be fine now," He whispered, then collapsed to the floor.

* * *

Leo opened his eyes slowly, his room coming into focus. He slowly sat up, and then regretted it as sore muscles cried out in pain and anger. He looked at his arms, and saw that his various cuts where bandaged.

"Man, that was a weird dream," He muttered. He had some trouble remembering it, but it was something about him going ten years in the future and his brothers where in the Foot Clan, which had taken over the world. _Maybe that beam from the portal did more than I thought..._

His door opened, and Splinter walked in. He looked relived to see Leo awake. "How are you, my son?" He asked, sitting near Leo.

"Fine. Sore. I think I was just really tired," He said.

"That is probably what happened. You slept through the night, and it is nearly noon," Splinter said. "Raphael and Michelangelo have told me about the fight last night, including your encounter with the portal. Are you sure it did not harm you in any way?"

"Not that I can tell. I didn't even feel anything when it hit me."

Splinter smiled. "Good. I am grateful you all made it home safe. Do keep an eye on yourself, and tell me if you start feeling off in any way."

"I will, _Sensei_," Leo paused for a second, then something came to him. "How's Donnie?"

"He is fine, like you said before you passed out. He woke up about thirty minutes ago, and the others are talking to him, and it seems like he'll make a full recovery with rest. He is concerned about you."

"Can I go see him?"

"You seem well enough to walk, so go ahead."

Leo smiled, then carefully made his way out of bed, wincing at sore muscles and stinging cuts. Funny, he didn't think he'd gotten that injured last night. He and Splinter made their way to the living room, where Donnie lay on the couch, the others around him. Donnie spotted Leo first.

"Hey, look who else is awake!" He said, smiling, waving a bandaged hand.

"Leo!" The cry came from the other three, and Mikey ended up tackle-hugging him first.

"OW! Careful, Mikey!" Leo said, and Mikey gave him a look akin to a sad puppy. "It's okay," He said, and Mikey smiled, then gave him a much gentler hug.

Raph and April also hugged him, then he went over to Donnie. "How are you?"

"Fine. Alive," Donnie chuckled, then the two brothers hugged.

"Thank you," Donnie whispered. Leo just smiled, and hugged him tighter.

The pace in the lair was slow the next few days. Donnie couldn't move, so they hung around the living room most of the time. Splinter had given everyone a couple days off of training to recuperate, and the five took the break with relief. They hung out, playing video games and chilling.

And yet, this dream of Leo's hung in the back of his brain. The memories of it where so vivid, like Leo had actually lived them. This dark, future world, where his brothers had been forced to work for the enemy... It seemed so impossible, but at the same time, it felt so real. Leo hadn't brought the dream up to anyone, not wanting to seem silly or more injured than he already was.

Too soon, their break was over, and they were back to training, though Splinter had them working slower. They moved Donnie into the dojo so he could watch, and give comments from the sidelines. Leo was also instructed to take it easy.

As they worked through simple kata's and formations, Leo didn't feel the ease that training normally brought him. Instead, the visions of his dream came back, remembering training sessions that they went through in the future. As images swilled through his brain, they slowly over took his vision. Soon, he was on a rooftop, a shadowy figure near him, wielding a sword. The figure stuck, and a stinging pain went through Leo's right leg. He felt himself fall to the ground.

When he opened his eyes, he was on the floor of the dojo, Splinter kneeling over him. The room slowly came back into focus as he sat up.

"Leonardo, are you all right?" Splinter asked. Leo nodded yes, but as he did so, his eye was drawn to something on his leg.

"Do you mind if I go back to my room and rest a bit?" He asked.

"Not at all. I do not want you to push yourself. You've been through a lot," Splinter said, and Leo couldn't agree more. Splinter helped him up, and Raph lead him back to his room.

"You sure you're okay, Leo?" Raph asked as Leo sat down on his bed.

"Yeah, I just need to rest is all," Leo replied, then gave a reassuring smile. Raph shrugged, then left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Leo looked at his leg. Along the outside of his right calf, there was a small scar running across it. As he traced the injury, more memories came back. As they flew through his mind, it finally occurred to him; that was no dream. He had really time traveled.

He sat there, allowing that revelation to hit him as everything from those weeks he spent in the future came back. And as he sat there, he wasn't sure if he was going to tell anyone, at least not recently. They were already worried about him; they'd think he was going insane if he claimed to have time traveled.

But, he'd know what happened. He could still remember all the things he'd seen, all the horror and evil the world had to face. And Leo knew, at that moment, that he was going to make it his goal that the world would never have to see that darkness again. And he and his brothers would make sure of that.

* * *

_Thank you all so much for reading, favoriting, reviewing, and all the support you've given! A special shout-out to StormyNight108 for giving me my first piece of fan art! Check it out on her deviantArt (same name as on here), it's really good! :D In terms of hits, alert listings, and favorites, this is my most successful story yet! It's also my second story to surpass 100 reviews, and my first TMNT fic to do so. This is also my longest story overall in both chapter and word count. Every single readers support of this fic, whether you've reviewed or not, is greatly appreciated! Thanks again, and I hope to see you all soon! :D - MusicGeek764_


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